02/02/2026
Susie Bell:
A Greenwood Business Legend
Susie Bell was born in Lee County, Arkansas, the daughter of Joseph Little. Her mother’s name remains elusive in the historical record, a silence that hints at the gaps often present in documenting the lives of African American women in the early twentieth century. Census records reveal that she had two older brothers and a younger brother named Preston Little. These familial bonds would play a crucial role in her life and career, particularly as Preston later joined her in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Susie Bell’s early life in Arkansas, though sparsely documented, was likely marked by the rhythms and responsibilities of rural Southern life, a life of close family ties, church gatherings, and a keen awareness of the opportunities and limitations of her time. Her family’s descendants, especially her great-niece Jennifer King, have devoted considerable effort to piecing together Bell’s extraordinary life, revealing a woman whose vision and determination would shape not only her own destiny but also the fabric of the Greenwood community.
By the time Preston Little moved to Tulsa between 1910 and 1913, Susie Bell had already established herself in Greenwood, the thriving African American district of Tulsa that would come to be known as Black Wall Street. She was operating the Bell Café at 101 North Greenwood Avenue, a location at the heart of a district brimming with Black-owned businesses, professional offices, and cultural institutions. The early 1910s were a period of remarkable growth for Greenwood, fueled in part by the oil boom that had brought wealth and opportunity to Tulsa’s Black residents. In this environment, Susie Bell’s café was more than a simple eating establishment; it was a place where community, entrepreneurship, and social life intersected. Advertising in the Tulsa Star began in 1913 and continued into 1914, signaling her active engagement in promoting her business and reaching a clientele eager for quality dining experiences within their own community.
The Bell Café became known for its elegance and careful attention to detail, qualities that set it apart in a marketplace where many establishments were functional but not refined. Bell’s sense of style extended beyond the culinary; she maintained a personal presence of poise and sophistication that resonated with patrons and colleagues alike. She was known for never wearing flats, always heels, and dressing in all white on Sundays and navy blue on other days. Her hair was neatly arranged, a brooch pinned close to her collar, and she carried herself with the air of a woman determined to conquer the world. These habits were not mere affectations; they were statements of dignity and professionalism, establishing her as a figure whose presence commanded respect and whose business acumen matched her personal elegance.
In 1915, Susie Bell partnered with her brother Preston to create the Bell and Little Café, relocating the business to 106 North Greenwood. This partnership demonstrated both familial loyalty and a strategic approach to expanding her operations. The café’s relocation and rebranding allowed for growth in clientele and capacity, reflecting Bell’s adaptability and vision. By 1920, the café had moved again to 324 East Archer Street, another central corridor in Greenwood, indicating ongoing success and the desire to maintain a prominent position within the district. These moves were more than logistical; they were emblematic of Bell’s responsiveness to the dynamic commercial environment of Greenwood, where foot traffic, social hubs, and proximity to other businesses could make or break a venture.
Alongside the Bell and Little Café, Susie Bell launched the Busy Bee Café, housed in the brick building owned by the Gurleys, prominent figures in Greenwood’s development. This café employed seven people, a significant operation for the time, and earned a reputation for excellence, particularly for Bell’s famous smothered chicken. The Busy Bee first appeared in the Tulsa Star in 1918, and Bell sold it to Julius Parks the following year, reflecting her strategic approach to business management and her ability to capitalize on opportunities while maintaining her public profile. Bell’s restaurants were not only sites of commerce but also spaces of social gathering and cultural exchange, where patrons could experience fine dining and community engagement in a setting that celebrated Black success and sophistication.
Bell’s influence extended beyond her restaurants into the social and philanthropic life of Greenwood. She hosted parties and gatherings for prominent members of the community, including professors from Langston University, whom she served a six-course fine dining experience in 1920. She also participated in anniversary celebrations for local doctors, demonstrating her integration into the intellectual and professional circles of the district. Bell’s charitable work included organizing fundraisers for Mt. Zion Church, which her family believes was her home church, and she consistently supported family members financially and personally, providing significant assistance without hesitation. Her generosity and mentorship extended to raising nieces and nephews during holidays and summers, embodying a spirit of care and responsibility that paralleled her professional endeavors.
Despite her remarkable professional achievements, Bell’s personal life was less publicly documented. She was married to W. B. Johnson, owner of the Royal Cleaning and Taylor Shop in Tulsa, but the marriage was strained, ultimately ending in divorce in 1920. Reports suggest she remarried a couple of times, including once to a train porter in the late 1920s, but in the public record, she remained most prominently associated with her brother and business partner, Preston. Her name rarely appeared alongside a husband in newspaper accounts, underscoring the singularity of her professional identity in a world where women, particularly African American women, were often overshadowed in media narratives by men.
Tragically, the successes that Bell had built in Greenwood were devastated by the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. During this attack, white mobs destroyed much of the district, killing dozens and burning businesses and homes, including those of Susie Bell. According to family accounts, both she and Preston lost everything they had worked to establish. Preston was reduced to working as a day laborer and died with only a few dollars in his pocket. Bell attempted to rebuild by opening two more restaurants, but neither venture regained the prominence or prosperity of her pre-massacre businesses. The destruction of Greenwood not only obliterated physical structures but also disrupted a social and economic network that Bell had navigated with skill and determination, illustrating the precariousness of Black success in an era of systemic violence and oppression.
In her later years, Bell relocated to Arkansas and eventually to Los Angeles, taking up work as a housekeeper. Even in these more modest circumstances, her character and habits remained intact. Family members recall her sharing beauty and skincare tips with younger relatives, bringing home baskets of citrus fruit, and retaining the grace and elegance that had defined her earlier life in Greenwood. She contracted an illness after a cruise and passed away within the decade, leaving behind a legacy that is preserved not only through the historical record and newspaper accounts but also through the memories and efforts of her descendants, who continue to explore and celebrate her remarkable life.
Susie Bell’s story is one of ambition, skill, resilience, and generosity. She operated in a complex and dynamic environment, where opportunity and risk were ever-present, and where the stakes for Black entrepreneurs were high. Through her cafés, she created spaces of refinement and community, offering nourishment and social connection, mentoring and generosity, all while maintaining a personal presence of dignity and style. Her life, intersecting with both the prosperity and devastation of Greenwood, provides a window into the broader history of Black enterprise, resilience, and cultural leadership in early twentieth-century America. Though the physical remnants of her work were largely destroyed in 1921, her influence endures in the narratives preserved by her family, historians, and the cultural memory of Tulsa, ensuring that Susie Bell’s contributions to Black Wall Street are not forgotten.
Susie Bell’s life in Greenwood continued to unfold against the backdrop of a community that was both thriving and fragile, a district where Black enterprise, education, and culture converged in ways that defied the segregationist norms of the early twentieth century. Her cafés, beyond being centers of commerce, became symbols of aspiration and dignity, embodying the hopes of a community that sought not just survival but recognition and excellence. Every detail of her establishments reflected her understanding of the nuances of hospitality and the expectations of a discerning clientele. She paid close attention to the presentation of her food, the arrangement of tables, the service of her staff, and the aesthetic of her spaces, creating environments that were simultaneously welcoming and refined. Customers who entered her cafés would have encountered not just meals but a carefully curated experience in which elegance, warmth, and efficiency coexisted.
Bell’s culinary talents were frequently noted in contemporary accounts. Her smothered chicken, which became her signature dish, exemplified both her skill and her sensitivity to the tastes and traditions of her patrons. But her expertise extended beyond individual recipes; she understood how a restaurant could serve as a social hub, where conversations flourished and relationships deepened. Hosting parties, dinners, and gatherings for professionals, educators, and community leaders, Bell’s cafés became centers of social networking and cultural exchange. By arranging six-course meals for professors from Langston University or providing spaces for anniversary celebrations of local doctors, she positioned her enterprises as crucial nodes in Greenwood’s social fabric, demonstrating that food and hospitality could also serve as instruments of influence and community cohesion.
Her business acumen was matched by her generosity and mentorship. She used her resources to support family members and others in her community without hesitation, giving sums equivalent to tens of thousands of dollars in today’s currency to help relatives and neighbors. She took responsibility for raising nieces and nephews during holidays and summers, imparting life skills and guidance with a gentle authority. Her charitable work extended to churches, including Mt. Zion, which she supported through fundraisers, integrating her economic success with the spiritual and social well-being of her community. These acts of generosity were not merely transactional; they represented a philosophy of interconnectedness, a recognition that individual prosperity gained its meaning through shared benefit and the uplift of those around her.
Bell’s travels also contributed to her innovative approach to business. Accounts in the Tulsa Star describe trips she took to Colorado for recreation, from which she returned with new ideas and perspectives that informed her operations and enhanced the quality of her cafés. This willingness to explore, to learn, and to integrate external influences into her work reveals a forward-thinking mindset and a desire to remain at the forefront of culinary and hospitality trends, even in the early decades of the twentieth century.
Her personal style, carefully curated and consistently maintained, reinforced her public image as a woman of class and authority. She never wore flats, always opting for heels, and maintained a color-coded wardrobe, with all white on Sundays and navy blue on other days. Her hair was neatly styled, and she wore a brooch pinned close to her collar. These habits conveyed not only elegance but also discipline and self-respect, qualities that translated into the management of her businesses and the impression she made on clients and peers alike. In a society that often diminished the visibility and contributions of women, particularly African American women, Bell’s presence and conduct allowed her to command attention and respect, asserting her authority in both social and economic spheres.
Despite her prominence, Bell’s life was not untouched by personal challenges. Her marriage to W. B. Johnson, owner of the Royal Cleaning and Taylor Shop, ultimately ended in divorce, and she later remarried, including a union with a train porter in the late 1920s. Yet in public records and newspapers, she is most frequently associated with her brother Preston and her entrepreneurial endeavors, reflecting the enduring significance of her professional identity and the independence she cultivated throughout her life. Even as she navigated personal complexities, she remained focused on building, sustaining, and innovating within her businesses, a testament to her resilience and strategic thinking.
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 brought devastating disruption to Bell’s life and the Greenwood community she had helped to shape. Her businesses, which had represented years of careful planning, investment, and personal effort, were destroyed, and the economic and social networks that supported Black prosperity in Tulsa were shattered. Preston Little, her brother and partner, was reduced to day labor, and both he and Bell faced the daunting task of rebuilding amidst widespread devastation and loss. Bell attempted to reestablish her presence in the culinary world through two additional restaurant ventures, yet these did not achieve the scale or success of her previous enterprises, highlighting the profound and long-lasting impact of the massacre on individual livelihoods and community structures. The destruction of Greenwood was not merely physical; it was a violent interruption of progress, a rupture that tested the resilience of those like Bell who had invested their energies, skills, and resources in the district’s flourishing.
Following the massacre and subsequent challenges, Bell relocated multiple times, first returning to Arkansas and later moving to Los Angeles, where she took work as a housekeeper. Even in these later years, she maintained her attention to detail, elegance, and care, sharing beauty tips with younger family members and preserving small traditions, such as bringing home baskets of citrus fruit. These acts reflect a continuity of character, a persistence of identity that transcended the shifts in geography, circumstance, and social standing that marked her later life. She continued to exert influence within her family, imparting knowledge, care, and wisdom, demonstrating that leadership and impact need not always be public to be profound.
More
blackwallstreet.org/susiebell
BHM2026 Shopping
blackwallstreet.org/books
