PEOPLE WITH A
PASSION FOR PEACE
Since 1995, the all-volunteer and interfaith peaceCENTER continues to be a significant community catalyst for peace in San Antonio, Texas. Compassion and Justice are our strong guiding lights. Contemplative Practices, Experiential Education, and Nonviolent Actions are our working expressions throughout the community at large.
285 Oblate Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78216
The peaceCENTER is a 501(c)((3)) non-profit
Monday’s Monument: John Hope Franklin Tower of Reconciliation, Tulsa, Oklahoma
This park, dedicated in 2010, is a result of the 2001 Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, during which a group of Whites attacked what was then the wealthiest Black community in the US. An estimated 10,000 Blacks were left homeless, and 35 city blocks were destroyed by fire. The estimated death toll ranges from 39 to about 500. The park is on the edge of the old Greenwood neighborhood, the section of town that was razed during the riot. The monuments consist of two displays: Hope Plaza and The Tower of Reconciliation. Hope Plaza is a 16-foot granite structure with three bronze sculptures depicting Hostility (an armed white man), Humiliation (a Black man with his arms raised in surrender), and Hope (a white Red Cross Worker cradling a Black child.) All three figures are based on actual people in photographs collected of the Riot. The Tower of Reconciliation is a 25-foot tower that uses images to highlight the history of African Americans, beginning with life in Africa through to the Tulsa Race Riot and reconstruction after the Riot. The Park, tower and the nearby Center for Reconciliation are named for the late John Hope Franklin, noted historian, and son of attorney Buck Franklin, who survived the Race Riot and was instrumental in assisting other African Americans in rebuilding after the events of the Riot and its aftermath.
