The Oklahoma Supreme Court dealt another devastating blow to the last two living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Fletcher, by denying their petition for justice.
On September 11, the AP reported, “The Oklahoma Supreme Court has rejected a request to reconsider its ruling to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the last two known living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Without comment, seven members of the court on Tuesday turned away the request by 110-year-old Viola Fletcher and 109-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle to rehear its June ruling that upheld a decision by a district court judge in Tulsa to dismiss the case. Justice James Edmondson would have reheard the case and Justice Richard Darby did not vote.”
The decision has effectively perpetuated one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in American history.
The City of Tulsa, complicit in the white supremacist violence that destroyed the thriving Black community of Greenwood in 1921, keeps evaded accountability. And the courts decision comes even as the remains of Massacre victims continue to be unearthed from mass graves, a chilling reminder of the atrocities committed.
Still, despite the setback, the fight for justice is far from over according to the attorneys for the survivors, including lead counsel Damario Solomon-Simmons, who have vowed to continue the pursuit of justice through every available avenue. The survivors themselves, despite their advanced age, remain determined to see the perpetrators held accountable.
The denial of justice in Oklahoma has sparked renewed calls for a federal investigation into the Tulsa Race Massacre. Advocates are urging President Biden and Vice President Harris, who have personally met with the survivors, to invoke the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act to address this historical injustice. Thus far, the only action towards justice the Biden-Harris Administration has taken is in the form of a proclamation on May 31, 2021. “Today, on this solemn centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, I call on the American people to reflect on the deep roots of racial terror in our Nation and recommit to the work of rooting out systemic racism across our country,” Biden states. In other words, and to this day, the government will only offer its “thoughts and prayers” for the grave injustice committed against the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre, including for the over 400 years of slavery in America.
Nonetheless, the fight for justice for the Tulsa Race Massacre survivors is not just about the past; it’s about confronting the ongoing legacy of racism and systemic injustice. It’s about ensuring that the stories of Greenwood, its people, and its destruction are never forgotten. As we stand at this critical juncture in our nations history, it is imperative that we support the survivors and demand accountability for the crimes committed against them and their community similar to the 1988 Civil Liberties Act when President Ronald Reagan signed the landmark piece of legislation that sought to address one of the darkest chapters in American history: the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. This act provided a formal apology and tax-free restitution to those who were unjustly incarcerated, and to their surviving spouses or descendants.
About The Tulsa Race Massacre
The Tulsa Race Massacre took place in 1921 when a mob of white individuals, deputized and armed by municipal and county officials, killed, looted, and burned down the Greenwood area. The Massacre resulted in the murder of more than 300 Tulsans and the destruction of the prosperous Greenwood neighborhood, often referred to as “Black Wall Street.”
About Greenwood
Greenwood, most revered for “Black Wall Street” was co-founded by Black Creeks—it became one of the most prosperous, organized, and successful Black communities in United States history, and a place for Black people to escape the political, economic, and social oppression of southern lawmakers post-civil war.
