Funeral program of Juanita Parry: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Digital copy of a funeral program for Juanita Parry, survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The funeral program consists of color ink printed on a single sheet of white paper, folded once to produce four pages. The first page, or cover, has an image of Parry in a blue outfit and pink hat with images of roses and rose petals in the background of the page and text that reads [In Loving Memory / Of / Juanita / Parry].

The left-side interior page (page 2) has an obituary titled "Reflections of Life," which details Parry's birth in Tulsa, her family history, education, and adult life, including a mention that Parry and her brother Julius are both "certified 1921 Race Riot Survivors" who are "included in the Race Riot Survivors Exhibit located at the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma." The right-side of the interior spread (page 3) contains the order of service from processional to recessional.

The last page, or back cover, lists the pall bearers, flower bearers, an "Expression of Gratitude" from the family, the location of the service, and who handled the arrangements.

The program is accompanied by a two-sided insert printed in color ink. The front of the insert, titled "She Was Our Granny," lists the names of Parry's grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren above an image of Parry. The back of the insert includes two poems, "Pearls and Curls" by Daisy L. Powell and "Autumn Rain."

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: June 12, 2007
• Printed by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Juanita Parry, American, 1919 - 2007
• Owned by: Eddie Faye Gates, American, 1934 - 2021
• Type: digital images
• Type: programs
• Type: digital media - born analog
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: File size (overall): 746.04 MB
• Place collected: Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American South
• Topic: American West
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Funeral customs and rites
• Topic: Tulsa Race Massacre
• Object number: 2014.117.73
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Eddie Faye Gates, Tulsa OK, author, historian, community activist
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.