The Dodgers AA affiliiate Tulsa Drillers will wear a special patch during the month of May. A patch that remembers the 1921 Race Massacre that took place in Tulsa.
The patch does have a small finesse as it shows the word “riot” struck through and being replaced by the word “massacre.” Back in the days, the mass murder of blacks was called riots to right the actions of white supremacists after an alleged assault of a white female elevator operator by a black shoeshiner. The Drillers made the only right move to repace the word riots with massacre.
In conjunction with the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, the Tulsa Drillers have announced plans to wear a special patch during the first month of the 2021 season to raise awareness and encourage Drillers fans to educate themselves about the massacre while honoring its victims and their families.
Apparently, MLB had to give permission to wear the patch on the uniform as the Drillers received permission from Major League Baseball to feature the patch on the fronts of their home jerseys. It will be located just above the Drillers logo that runs across the jersey fronts.
Phil Armstrong, Project Director for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, is very excited 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 use of the patch is not a coincidence as ONEOK Field, home of the Drillers, is located at the Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District, the area the massacre took place.
At the end of the month of May, the jerseys will be sold through an auction to raise money for the programs and operations of the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center (“Greenwood Rising”).
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