Women's Basketball Cultural Experiences: A Look Back at Visit to Greenwood Rising

INTERVIEWS: NAHJA SCOTT | ZOE COOPER | COACH TRELANNE POWELL

The New Orleans Privateers women's basketball team took the opportunity in their first trip this season to visit Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street in Tulsa. It's a museum that chronicles the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.
 
The violence that occurred wiped out homes, businesses, and took the lives of many Black Americans. Greenwood Rising details the chilling experiences from victims and survivors through its displays and short films that are available throughout the self-guided tour.
 
Greenwood Rising was a chance for the team to learn more about the history and everyone on the tour took that to heart. Zoe Cooper and Nahja Scott spoke about what they took from the experience.
 
"I learned a little about Black Wall Street a couple of years ago through my passion for business," said Scott. "It was surreal to come to this museum and being educated to what really went on. It was very emotional and it was a good experience for people to be enlightened on how it's been such a struggle with the racial wealth gap for black people to sustain generational wealth."
 
"I'm just grateful for this experience," said Cooper. "I wasn't really well educated on Black Wall Street and the history behind it so coming here really opened my eyes up to a lot of things about history and where I came from, and it was emotional because we have overcome a lot. It's a motivational push seeing how they overcame oppression."
 
The visit to Tulsa has been the latest in the University of New Orleans Athletic Department and Vice President of Athletics and Recreation Tim Duncan's push for each program to get to experience a part of American history, culture, and its impact on our world today.
 
"Experiencing this gives you a reset on your emotions after seeing what the community of Greenwood endured and what that means to black people and the surrounding communities that were involved," said Head Coach Trelanne Powell. "I'm glad we got to do this as a team. I hope this experience brings more awareness of what the black community especially here has been through."
 
Also a part of the museum that opened in 2021 is a Pathway to Hope which in the words of the museum's website "symbolically reconnects a Greenwood District bisected by I- 244 during Tulsa's urban renewal phase in the 1960s and 70s. What some locals called "urban removal" displaced citizens and businesses and plowed through "Black Wall Street," Tulsa's thriving Black business district known throughout the land. The Pathway to Hope will acknowledge this history, elevate Black Wall Street icons, and encourage present-day healing of past, yet lingering, wounds."
 
The women's basketball team had a series of events that were called Privateer enrichment events, which were community service initiatives and in some cases, getting to hear from guest speakers. That included  working with the Power Coalition, volunteering at the New Orleans Saints Kickoff Run and hearing from professional athletes in Seimone Augustus, Swin Cash and Taneka Rubin.
 
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests.  Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win.  Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day.  Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe! 
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