Justice Dives into Tulsa's Historic Tragedy

A century after a terrible event, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun looking into the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. This tragedy happened in the vibrant Black community of Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma. White mobs attacked the area, destroying numerous Black-owned businesses, churches, homes, and hospitals. Estimates suggest that up to 300 people lost their lives, and thousands were left without homes. Generations of wealth were wiped out in one of the worst racial violence incidents in U.S. history. This federal review follows a dismissal by the Oklahoma Supreme Court of a reparations case filed by massacre survivors. The DOJ’s Cold Case Unit, under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, will handle the investigation. This decision comes after a plea from survivors Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Ford Fletcher, who urged the Biden administration to reopen the case using the 2007 Act.

Damario Solomon-Simmons, the lead attorney for the survivors, emphasized that this investigation is long overdue. “It’s about time,” he said, acknowledging the community’s persistent efforts to seek justice. The community never stopped fighting for reparations or forgetting what happened. Tiffany Crutcher, a descendant of a massacre survivor, echoed the sentiment. She expressed gratitude that the DOJ is finally reviewing the tragedy, which has been overlooked for too long. By the end of the year, the DOJ plans to release a public report detailing its findings.

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