May 1, 2013

In this issue we’re taking a look back at the Tulsa Race Riots and the man allegedly at the center of all the turmoil.

RETURN TO THE RIOT: What became of the boot black who found himself at the center of the Tulsa Race Riot? A trail gone cold. By Steve Gerkin.

WATER DARLING: How one writer painted a portrait of the events of June 1, 1921, using fiction as the brush. By Evan Ramspott.

SMOKE SIGNALS: A snapshot of Tulsa, rendered in snippets pulled from editions of the daily newspaper dated the week of the riot. By Brian Ted Jones.

GAME-NIGHT ARMAGEDDON: The story behind one of the most controversial games in chess history: the 2008 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship final game in Tulsa, Oklahoma. By Matthew Crouch.

ORIGINAL OKIE: During the 1920/21 academic year at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School, an athletic sophomore named James Jones played basketball and football. He may have also played a pivotal role in the Tulsa Race Riot. Check out the full story inside this issue.