The US Justice Department has initiated a cold-case investigation into the 1921 Tulsa race massacre that saw a white mob devastate a thriving Black neighbourhood and killed dozens of people in Tulsa, Oklahoma over a century ago. This historic investigation is being conducted under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which authorises the federal government to reopen civil rights-related cold cases. The Act is named after Emmett Till, a Black teenager who was brutally murdered by two white men in Mississippi in 1955.
The decision to review the Tulsa massacre comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed a long-standing lawsuit initiated by the two living survivors of the atrocity, who have been seeking justice for years. Despite the passage of time, no one has ever been held accountable for the violence that unfolded during the two-day attack.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke acknowledged the ongoing trauma experienced by the descendants of survivors and victims of this act of racial terrorism. While it is unlikely that living perpetrators will face criminal prosecution, the Justice Department will meticulously analyse documents, witness testimonies, scholarly research, and historical accounts to produce a comprehensive report on the massacre within the context of contemporary and past civil rights laws. The report is expected to be released by the end of the year.
The tragic events of May 31, 1921, in Greenwood – known as the ‘Black Wall Street’ – witnessed an armed white mob, deputised by law enforcement, indiscriminately targeting Black Americans on the streets of Tulsa. Reports suggest that planes dropped incendiary devices, and the bodies of victims were disposed of in rivers or mass graves. Survivors were forcibly detained, while homes, businesses, and churches were destroyed and looted.
Despite the challenges and setbacks faced in seeking justice, the enduring efforts of individuals like Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Ford Fletcher, who as children experienced the massacre, symbolise a significant step towards acknowledging and rectifying the historical wrongs inflicted upon the Black community in Tulsa. Their determination to seek justice highlights the importance of remembering and honouring the victims of one of the most horrific racial atrocities in US history.