Serendipity MD

The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when a white mob violently attacked the prosperous African American community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, historically known as "Black Wall Street".
Over 35 square blocks were burned, leaving up to 300 people dead and thousands homeless.

The violence was ignited on May 30, 1921, after Dick Roland, a young Black shoe shiner, was accused of assaulting Sarah Paige, a white elevator operator in a downtown building.

Although the encounter was likely a misunderstanding and local police planned to dismiss the charges, inflammatory reports in the Tulsa Tribune newspaper incensed the local white community.

On the evening of May 31, an armed group of Black men, many of whom were World War I veterans went to the Tulsa courthouse to protect Roland from a lynch mob. A standoff ensued, shots were fired, and the vastly outnumbered Black men retreated to the Greenwood neighborhood.

Throughout the night and into the next day, armed mobs of white residents ,some deputized and armed by local officials invaded Greenwood. They looted, burned, and destroyed more than 1,400 Black-owned homes and businesses. Notably, rioters even utilized private airplanes to drop incendiary bombs on the neighborhood.

The Oklahoma governor subsequently declared martial law, and the National Guard arrived, detaining thousands of surviving Black residents in internment camps.

Contemporary news reports downplayed the event, and the tragic destruction was largely omitted from American history books for decades.

While exact casualty numbers were heavily obscured at the time, historians estimate that between 50 and 300 Black residents were killed.

“It’s not about getting rid of grief. It’s about making sure it doesn’t stop you from moving forward.”

For Dr. Serign Marong ’02, Washington State University has never been just the place where he earned his degree. Embedded in every chapter of his life, WSU has remained a constant—one he returned to when seeking the most meaningful way to honor his late wife, Visa.

By creating the Visa Marong Memorial Scholarship, Serign found a way to translate love and loss into something enduring and to honor the values that defined Visa's life.

Today, Serign is practicing medicine and remains active in the Cougar community. Read more about his journey:

https://foundation.wsu.edu/2026/05/06/asking-what-would-visa-do-why-dr-serign-marong-created-the-visa-marong-memorial-scholarship/