Tulsa, the All-American City: An Examination of Segregation Indices and Their Effects on the Perceptions of the City

Abstract

This paper examined several aspects of racial segregation in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Working from Claude Fischer's (1984) subcultural theory, this paper examined the ways in which Tulsa developed subcultures around distinctive ethnic groups. A number of different methods were employed to determine the extent of segregation and peoples' perceptions of segregation. Tulsa was found to have a dissimilarity index of 64 .1. In addition, it was discovered that Tulsa's ethnic group composition was divided into geographic sections: whites in the South and west, African Americans in the North and Hispanics and Asians in the East. It was determined that voluntary segregation, on the part of the whites, existed in a variety of other ways besides residency. The majority of African Americans indicated that Tulsa was as segregated or more segregation than other cities, while white agree to a lesser extent. This study also looked at the ways in which this segregation affected the history and the future of the city. In Tulsa, there was a lack on emphasis on the rich history, particularly concerning the 1921 race riot. Concerning the future, it was determined that if Tulsa were to develop a "vision" it would need to address the race riot in the past, existing racial inequalities, and provide a representative character that encompasses the Tulsa spirit.