Bitter Root Creators Host Event for Tulsa Race Massacre's 100th Anniversary - CBR - Comic Book Resources

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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the creators of the Image Comics series Bitter Root will be hosting a panel discussion on the impact and legacy of the Burning of Black Wall Street.

As reported by Public Radio Tulsa, the event will take place on June 2 at the Greenwood Cultural Center. The panel is described as follows:

This is an educational and entertaining panel discussion with the creators of BITTER ROOT, David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene; along with the curator of the back matter content, John Jennings. Bitter Root is an award winning comic book series that is in development for a future film. The series references the 1921 Massacre and the all-Black towns of early Oklahoma. The program will center on the comic book series, the history of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, and depictions of the Massacre in pop culture. This program is funded in part by Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions or Recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.

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Debuting in Nov. 2018, Bitter Root is an urban fantasy series following the Sangereyes, a Black family of monster hunters living in Harlem during the 1920s. The Tulsa Massacre is referenced heavily in the first arc -- specifically in regards to the villain, Dr. Walter Sylvester, a survivor of the massacre whose hatred towards the world fuels his unholy crusade. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is working on a film adaptation of the comic.

The Tulsa Massacre has received a much greater focus in recent years, particularly in genre fiction. HBO's Watchmen famously opened with one of its main characters escaping the violence in Greenwood, setting the stage for a story about the lingering threat of white supremacy in America 98 years later. Following Watchmen's success, the Oklahoma Education Department announced they were forming a new curriculum to better teach students about the history of the massacre.

Another HBO series, Lovecraft Country, also highlighted the violence in Tulsa. The penultimate episode of the first season, "Rewind 1921," saw the cast travel back in time from 1950s Chicago to the first night of the massacre, forcing survivor Montrose Freeman to confront his trauma in a vivid recreation of the events.

The Bitter Root panel will take place at 6 p.m. on June 2. Admission will be free.

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Source: Public Radio Tulsa

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Morgan Shaunette (50 Articles Published)

Morgan Shaunette is a freelance comic book news writer for CBR.com. He is a graduate of Portland State University where he majored in Film with minors in Writing and English. He is also a contributor to the amateur film blog/podcast T.H.O. Movie Reviews. He currently lives in Portland, OR, with his chihuahua Minnie, who is adorable.