The Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed Greenwood and affected generations
The destruction of the Oklahoma community 100 years ago was based on unfounded accusations. The effects of the attack left a real wound.
Paige Dillard, Oklahoman
The Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, announced a plan for reparations for the descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre, once known as “Black Wall Street” on the first official anniversary of the massacre.
The Mayor Monroe Nichols’ plan, dubbed “Road to Repair,” centers on a private trust aimed at raising $105 million in assets by June 1, 2026, the 105th anniversary of the massacre.
“Better pursuits define better greatness – those who look back at 104 years and dare to do better – in the face of a complicated past, dare to commit to each other for a better future,” Nichols said Sunday.
In addition to the trust, Nichols has announced the release of 45,000 historical documents related to the massacre.
“For us as a city, we want to model that we are partners who want to promote trust with this community as a whole,” Nichols, Tulsa’s first black mayor, told USA Today in an interview Monday, June 2nd. ” Important. “
In an interview, Nichols said this trust is a way to remove conversations from the political realm.
“Let’s model everyone how this repair work is truly resilient for the whole community, and try our best outside of political context,” Nichols said. “If that’s good for all of us, then, maybe public policy can follow what is now a good model for everyone.”
Where will the money go?
Under the plan, the Housing Fund will receive $24 million from the trust for homeowner benefits for the descendants of the Race Massacre. The Cultural Conservation Fund will cut some of the master plans for the Kilpatrick and Greenwood districts of North Tulsa, have $60 million to implement the Legacy Fund, receive $21 million, and develop trust-owned land and fund scholarships for local descendants and economic development grants.
The mayor added that the trust’s work provided opportunities for some of the “descendant community” to reconnect Tulsa with the city.
“After the massacre, there are many families who decided that Tulsa was not their place,” Nichols said. “The goal is to go to schools in Oklahoma, come to schools here and pay for education. The goal is to open a business in the Greenwood area or North Tulsa with business grants and interest loans.
The trust, dubbed the neighborhood Greenwood Trust where the massacre took place, employs an executive director and fundraising staff who are paid in private funds.
Nichols said in a statement that the first year of the trust will focus on planning and fundraising.
“The next step is to make these investments. It’s not just iconic,” Nichols told USA Today. “We are behind it and make the necessary investments to show that we are not only aware of the (genocide) but also show that 2025 is a rather different community than 1921.”
What was the massacre at Tulsa Race?
In the early 1900s, the 40 block north of downtown Tulsa boasted 10,000 residents, hundreds of businesses, and medical facilities, including airports. However, on May 31, 1921, a white mob burned, looted, and destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Greenwood, a black section of Tulsa.
The massacre is reportedly started with accusations of 19-year-old shoe shiner Dick Roland of assaulting a white female teenager in an elevator. Decades later, the 2001 Tulsa Race Riot Commission found that 17-year-old Sara Page was interviewed by police, but there were no allegations of assault.
Roland was arrested and the white man went to prison and demanded that he be released to “facing mob justice,” Deputy Attorney General Kristen Clark said in a speech in 2024 opening the much-anticipated Department of Justice investigation.
A mob then invaded Greenwood, looting and destroying businesses and homes.
Tulsa authorities represented the white man and directed that, according to the witness’s accounts and records at the time, “I’ll try to keep myself busy and get my guns busy.” The Oklahoma State Guard took part in mass arrests of almost everyone living in Greenwood.
“The purpose of the white mob, across the board, is to make the wealth of the black community appropriate, and some suspect that allegations against Roland are merely an excuse,” Clark said.
The true death toll of the massacre may never be known. Most historians who studied the event estimate the death toll is between 75 and 300.
In January, the department said there were credible reports of law enforcement involved in the attack, but there was no way to prosecute the crime. The department cited the relevant restrictions laws and the expiration of potential defendants over 115 years ago by the youngest potential defendants.
Contributors: Dale Denwald, Mina Arshad – USA Today Network; Reuters
