For my Unsung Heroes project, I chose Maurice Willows. I chose him because even as a white man living in a time period where Black people were treated as if they were lesser beings, he gave his time and effort to help repair a Black community that was torn apart by racial violence. The Tulsa Race Riots happened when the Black community of Tulsa, located in Greenwood, Oklahoma, was doing pretty well, which angered white citizens in neighboring areas. This anger led to one of the largest acts of racial violence ever recorded in history. After the riots subdued, Maurice Willows, who worked for the Red Cross, went to investigate what had happened and found thousands of people left homeless and injured, and the only hospital and school in the area had burned down. After what he’d witnessed, he immediately demanded it be classified as a natural disaster. Because of his leadership, the people of Tulsa managed to recover a bit from the aftermath of the Tulsa Race Riots. 

It was difficult making the art, but as soon as I started thinking about how to represent my Unsung Hero’s story, I knew I wanted to draw it in Tulsa after the race riots. In the top center I drew Maurice Willows helping up a Black citizen who’d fallen down while walking through the wreckage. Beneath them I drew a flower sprouting up, signifying that the conflict had ended and that Tulsa was starting to rebuild. In the background there are also a series of charred, destroyed buildings, representing the damage that had been caused. 

When I share my artwork with others, I want simply for people to finally see and appreciate the efforts Maurice Willows made to repair a community destroyed by racial violence. Through my personal research, I couldn’t find many references to Maurice Willows anywhere, so I want people to know who he was and what he did for the African American community in Tulsa.