As the only living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, we escaped the white mob that murdered our neighbors and reduced us to refugees, only to hear time and time again from Oklahoma’s judicial system that there will never be recourse for people like us. But history was made this week when the US Justice Department came to Greenwood to hear our testimony, gather evidence, and officially survey the crime scene that has haunted us for over 100 years.
We desperately needed this federal lifeline, amid the state's ongoing efforts to gaslight us into our graves. To this day, secrets about the atrocity that we fled remain hidden – in long-suppressed government documents, in historical archives, and in concealed insurance company records. Thanks to the DOJ review, our nation will soon record the truth about the despicable plot to put an affluent Black community “in its place,” and, we pray, show who was behind the plunder.
This moment marks significant progress toward justice, but we hope America understands that too many Greenwood residents have died without remedy for this to be the end of our journey. The DOJ’s review, once published, should serve as a step toward healing. And healing requires a full investigation that publicly names the people, companies, and institutions responsible for the Massacre and the ongoing cover up -- including the entities that are still around. Additionally, we hope that the findings lead to meaningful reparations, not just for us, but for the generations that have been denied their inheritance of Greenwood’s promise.
After 103 years of erasure and justice denied, we are weary. But God has brought us this far for a reason. We pray that the DOJ will finally bring accountability within reach—and that we are alive to see it.
— Viola Ford 'Mother' Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield 'Mother' Randle
Support the 1921 survivors and descendants in their fight for justice and reparations—sign our letter urging the DOJ to fully investigate the massacre.