From the Nominator

"The 1921 Tulsa Massacre is one of the many atrocities inflicted upon African Americans that have been actively suppressed in the standard curriculum. Until recently, the Tulsa Race Massacre wasn’t taught in most American schools. 

Harvard Business School Professor Mihir Desai wants to change that and simultaneously deepen students’ thinking on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion as they move forward as business leaders. His 2021 case study, “The Tulsa Massacre and the Call for Reparations,” explores how historic social injustice should be addressed, using the primary example of the 1921 massacre. 

Our video highlights Professor Desai’s key findings about the Tulsa massacre. It also shines a light on the urgent need for students to recognize the full implications of systemic racism and have a deeper understanding of why we must come to terms with our past. The process of reconciling with that violent past might include reparations, Desai says, but students must also examine the underlying causes of systemic injustice that still prevail today and how to make changes moving forward. 

This video, published on multiple platforms, seeks to inform students, alumni, and the public of Professor Desai’s influential case study at a moment of racial reckoning in America. The Harvard Business School made this case study’s companion website open to the public so that anyone can access and learn from Professor Desai’s scholarship."

From the Judges

This video is a good example of the impact images can have in telling a story. The historical photos were terrific and moved the narrative.