Tulsa Survivors Urge Biden to Investigate 1921 Massacre

Two centenarian survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Ford Fletcher, have called on President Joe Biden to initiate an investigation into the massacre after the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed their lawsuit seeking reparations. The survivors, invoking the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007, are pushing for the Department of Justice to investigate the events of the massacre, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 300 Black residents and the destruction of the Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision upheld an earlier ruling to dismiss the case, which included claims of public nuisance and argued that the City of Tulsa has financially benefited from the historic site without compensating the victims or their descendants. Despite acknowledging the legitimacy of the grievances, the court ruled they did not fall within the state’s public nuisance statute.
The survivors and their legal team, disappointed by the court’s decision, are also seeking a rehearing and have called on President Biden to take action, emphasizing the historical and ongoing impact of the massacre on the Black community. The Tulsa Race Massacre, largely omitted from historical records for years, has gained renewed attention due to the survivors’ continuous fight for justice.