Historian from UB wins vindication for activist charged in 1921 race riot
Andrew J. Smitherman was a crusading newspaperman for the black community in Tulsa, Okla., before he was indicted on charges of inciting a deadly race riot in 1921, and moved to Buffalo.
Only now — 46 years after his death — is Smitherman getting some vindication.
During a ceremonial court hearing scheduled for today in Tulsa, the indictment filed against Smitherman 86 years ago will be dismissed, thanks to an enterprising historian at the University at Buffalo.
Smitherman, known as A.J., earned a law degree and, after Tulsa, he lived for 36 years in Buffalo, where he started a newspaper and was a respected voice in the black community.
Barbara Seals Nevergold came across Smitherman’s name as she and her colleague, Peggy Brooks- Bertram, worked on their Uncrowned Queens and Kings project, chronicling the lives of black women and men whose stories had been largely forgotten.
As Nevergold researched the riot and Smitherman’s life, she was convinced that he had been wrongfully accused.
“It became clear to me that Mr. Smitherman was a man of integrity, honesty and high morals, which is why it is so important to me to clear his name at this late date,” Nevergold said.
The race riot that began in Tulsa on May 31, 1921, is described as the worst in U.S. history, but the story is widely unknown....
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Only now — 46 years after his death — is Smitherman getting some vindication.
During a ceremonial court hearing scheduled for today in Tulsa, the indictment filed against Smitherman 86 years ago will be dismissed, thanks to an enterprising historian at the University at Buffalo.
Smitherman, known as A.J., earned a law degree and, after Tulsa, he lived for 36 years in Buffalo, where he started a newspaper and was a respected voice in the black community.
Barbara Seals Nevergold came across Smitherman’s name as she and her colleague, Peggy Brooks- Bertram, worked on their Uncrowned Queens and Kings project, chronicling the lives of black women and men whose stories had been largely forgotten.
As Nevergold researched the riot and Smitherman’s life, she was convinced that he had been wrongfully accused.
“It became clear to me that Mr. Smitherman was a man of integrity, honesty and high morals, which is why it is so important to me to clear his name at this late date,” Nevergold said.
The race riot that began in Tulsa on May 31, 1921, is described as the worst in U.S. history, but the story is widely unknown....