How Buck Colbert Franklin Rebuilt a Ruined Dream

The Guardian of Greenwood: How Buck Colbert Franklin Rebuilt a Ruined Dream

​In the summer of 1921, the world watched as the wealthiest Black community in the United States, Tulsa’s Greenwood District; was reduced to ash. Yet, while the smoke was still clearing from the “Black Wall Street” massacre, one man was already preparing a different kind of defense. Buck Colbert Franklin, a formidable attorney, understood that while the mob used fire, the city would use the law to finish the destruction.

​Survival Amidst the Rubble

​Franklin had moved to Tulsa to serve a thriving community of Black professionals, entrepreneurs, and families. When the state-sanctioned violence erupted in late May, his law office was destroyed along with 1,200 homes and hundreds of businesses. Over 300 people were killed, and thousands were left homeless, held in internment camps by the National Guard.

​The Second Assault: Legal Redlining

​The violence was only the first phase. Following the massacre, the City of Tulsa passed a predatory fire ordinance. This law required that any new buildings in the burned area be constructed with prohibitively expensive, fireproof materials. It was a calculated legal maneuver designed to prevent displaced Black residents from rebuilding, effectively forcing them to sell their valuable land to white developers for pennies on the dollar.

​Fighting Fire with the Law

​Franklin refused to let the city legislate away his community’s future. Operating out of a tent because his office had been leveled, he filed a lawsuit against the city. He argued that the ordinance was unconstitutional and a direct attempt to seize property under the guise of safety.

​Against all odds in a segregated court system, Franklin won. The court blocked the ordinance, providing the legal opening for the survivors of Greenwood to begin the grueling process of reconstruction. Because of his victory, the “Negro Wall Street” was able to rise from the ashes, even without insurance payouts or government aid.

​A Legacy of Intellectual Excellence

​Franklin’s impact didn’t stop at the courtroom steps. He practiced law for decades, eventually moving to Texas to continue his work. His commitment to justice was passed down to his son, John Hope Franklin, who became the most influential historian of the African American experience in the 20th century and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

​Buck Colbert Franklin proved that the fight for civil rights isn’t always fought with shouts; sometimes, it is won with the quiet, persistent scratch of a pen on a legal brief. He ensured that while the buildings could be burned, the spirit of ownership and the right to a home could not be extinguished.