The Department of Justice has initiated a federal review of the Tulsa Race Massacre three years after President Joe Biden pledged to address its legacy. This development is significant as the last two living survivors, Viola Ford Fletcher, 110, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 109, along with their legal team, have sought justice.
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During a press conference at the Greenwood Cultural Center, civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would investigate the 1921 tragedy. He also mentioned that during previous meetings with President Biden and Vice President Harris, the administration has shown commitment and support for the survivors. This federal review comes after years of effort by the Justice for Greenwood legal team, which has been pushing for the first DOJ investigation into the massacre, as reported by the Black Wall Street Times.
The event occurred from May 31 to June 1, 1921, and involved white mobs killing over 300 Black residents and destroying the Greenwood district, also known as “Black Wall Street.” Despite the extensive devastation and violence, no one has been held accountable. The review is being conducted under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act, which allows the FBI and DOJ to investigate civil rights crimes that occurred before 1979.
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Descendants of massacre survivors said that the decision had been a step forward in addressing the suffering endured by their families. “The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is our duty, as the living, to do so for them,” said Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, a descendant of the survivors.
Attorney Solomon-Simmons pledged to persist in the fight for reparations and justice, asserting that the DOJ’s report could bring the community one step closer to resolving the long-standing injustice.