I am seated on history

By Coshunda J. Ellis

JA Guest Writer

Beneath me lies the original railroad that once ran through Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, soil that carried the movement, labor, dreams, and determination of a thriving Black community. Today, this same railroad rests inside the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center, a museum built not just to tell a story, but to restore memory.

Walking through this museum was more than a visit; it was a blessing. As I traveled down the road of history, I saw what our people once built with vision, faith, education, and ownership. Black Wall Street was not an idea or a myth. In the early 1900s, Greenwood was a real, prosperous, and innovative home to Black-owned banks, schools, grocery stores, hotels, newspapers, doctors’ offices, law firms, and theaters, despite the odds.

Black excellence was not an exception; it was the norm. Ownership was the foundation. Education was the expectation. Community was the strategy. For students, especially our youth, this history matters. One may ask why?

For grade-school students, it says: You come from builders.

For college students, it says: We have done this before, and we can do it again.

For aspiring educators, it offers a living classroom beyond the walls of a school.

Too often, Black history is taught through the lens of struggle alone. But Greenwood teaches strategy, economics, ownership, and community power. It shows what happens when education and enterprise work together. It challenges us to ask not only what happened, but what we can rebuild. This museum stands as a reminder that our history is alive. It is beneath our feet and within our reach.

Even more, visiting Black Wall Street during Black History Month felt purposeful. This was not tourism; it was a pilgrimage. It was a reminder that history shapes our present and informs our future. When we know where we come from, we are better equipped to decide where we are going. I believe every Black student should visit Black Wall Street at least once in their lifetime.

Stand on the ground.

Read the names.

See the businesses.

Feel the weight of the legacy.

Because when our young people see what was once owned, built, and sustained by people who looked like them, something shifts. Confidence grows. Curiosity awakens. Purpose becomes clearer.

Black History is indeed alive!

It is resilient!

And it is calling the next generation to learn it, honor it, and carry it forward!

Coshunda Ellis is an educator, tutor, and youth advocate based in Mississippi. She is one of the founders of The ButterFLY Tutoring Group, where she works to strengthen literacy and student confidence while helping our young people understand the power of education, history, and purpose. Her work centers on empowering students to see themselves as capable learners and future leaders shaped by legacy rather than limitation.