TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Drillers are planning to wear a special patch during the first month of the 2021 season in honor of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.
The team said it wanted to raise awareness and encourage Drillers fans to educate themselves about the massacre while honoring its victims and their families.
The patch, approved by Major League Baseball, is located on the front of the team's home jerseys above the Drillers logo. The Drillers said players would wear the jerseys for all home games in May.
The team said the jerseys would be available for purchase through an auction near the end of that month. Proceeds will benefit the programs and operations of the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center, which is currently under construction.
Greenwood Rising will be a state-of-the-art history center located at the southeast corner of Greenwood Avenue & Archer Street, the gateway to “Black Wall Street.”
Phil Armstrong, project director for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, shared his excitement about the added exposure the uniform patch will bring.
“Having this logo on the Tulsa Drillers jerseys gives us the opportunity to enlighten and educate baseball fans who may have thought they were just out for a day at the ballpark,” said Armstrong. “We are loading the bases for awareness of Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District, a history of tragedy and triumph, punctuated by reminders about the indomitable human spirit, in this space the Tulsa Drillers call home.”
The Drillers have called Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District home since moving to ONEOK Field for the 2010 season.
“We are honored and fortunate to have our home, ONEOK Field, in Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District,” said Drillers General Manager Mike Melega. “The ability to wear these special patches is a small way that the Drillers organization can help to raise awareness of the tragic events that took place in 1921. We appreciate the willingness of Phil Armstrong and the other members of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission to give us this opportunity.”
Earlier this year, the Drillers and the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce added a large, permanent Jackie Robinson mural to the back of one of the historic Greenwood buildings that face ONEOK Field.
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