New #OwnVoices Picture Book UNSPEAKABLE from Carolrhoda Books Reveals the Forgotten History of the Tulsa Race Massacre in Honor of 100th Anniversary

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Carolrhoda Books® is honored to release Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and award-winning illustrator Floyd Cooper. The first of its kind, this picture book has already received six starred reviews and is a testament to the people who perished and those who survived one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history.

In the early 1900s, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma was home to a thriving African American community. But all that would change on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when a mob of armed white Tulsans attacked Greenwood. They looted homes and businesses and burned them to the ground as Black families fled. The police did nothing to protect Greenwood, and as many as three hundred African Americans were killed. More than eight thousand were left homeless. News of the Tulsa Race Massacre was largely suppressed and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years. Cooper’s powerful illustrations and Weatherford’s poetic narrative offer a sensitive and compelling introduction to this devastating piece of American history.

Unspeakable will help young readers understand the events of the past so we can move toward a better future for all.

Click here for a free discussion guide that will help spark conversations with children.

Click here to watch the book trailer for Unspeakable and to hear about the creation of the book from author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper.

Praise for Unspeakable:
“A must-have.” —starred, Booklist

“A somber, well-executed addition to the history as the incident approaches its 100th anniversary."
—starred, Kirkus Reviews

“[S]ucceeds in teaching the tragedy of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the legacy of Black Wall Street.”
—starred, Publishers Weekly

“Far from romanticizing history, Weatherford is equally descriptive in explaining how a false accusation of assault brought simmering racial tensions to a violent end . . . Cooper’s illustrations (‘oil and erasure’) are the perfect partner to this history, the sepia-toned images resembling historical photographs. The portraits of Black residents are particularly moving, seeming to break the fourth wall to implore the reader to remember their story.”—starred, The Horn Book Magazine

“This moving account sheds light on shameful events long suppressed or ignored. All collections should consider this title’s value in providing historical context to current conversations about racism and America’s ongoing legacy of white supremacy.”—starred, School Library Journal

“Unspeakable deserves to be read by every student of American history.” —starred, BookPage