Tulsa, Oklahoma - Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols on Sunday announced a $105-million plan to address the ongoing harms of the 1921 race massacre.
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols (r.) has announced the creation of a Greenwood Trust to address ongoing harms of the 1921 race massacre amid a long fight for justice by survivors Viola Ford Fletcher (top l.) and Lessie Benningfield Randle. © Collage: IMAGO / Imagn Images
Nichols revealed the creation of the Greenwood Trust on the first – a city holiday he designated earlier this year to commemorate the anniversary of one of the worst acts of racial violence in US history.
The private charitable initiative will prioritize investments in affordable housing and homeownership, cultural and historic preservation, and economic development and education, including student scholarships and small-business grants.
Nichols accompanied with the public release of more than 45,000 records related to the massacre.
The developments follow advocates' February unveiling of their calling for comprehensive actions to address the legacy of the massacre and to compensate the last two living survivors, Viola Ford Fletcher (111) and Lessie Benningfield Randle (110).
"We're excited to move into this next phase with Mayor Nichols, city leadership and Tulsa advocates," Justice for Greenwood founder and executive director Damario Solomon-Simmons said in a press release.
"Many of the commitments outlined today echo the very proposals our team and community have spent years fighting to bring to light," the attorney continued.
"This alignment is a testament to the power of truth-telling and organized advocacy – and we’re ready to work together to ensure these ideas become real outcomes for descendants."
The once-thriving Greenwood District lies in ruins in the aftermath of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. © IMAGO / Bridgeman Images
The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre saw hundreds of Black residents murdered in a white-supremacist terrorist attack on the city's Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street.
Over two days, white law enforcement officers and deputized civilians razed 40 square-blocks of the once-flourishing neighborhood. Attackers even dropped firebombs on the community from decommissioned US military planes.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ)in January describing the May 31-June 1, 1921, invasion of Greenwood as an attack "so systematic and coordinated that it transcended mere mob violence."
In the aftermath of the assault, Black Tulsans were confined to concentration camps guarded by armed white men. Black men were charged with inciting the violence, while the FBI sought to cover up the racist nature of the crimes.
Nevertheless, the DOJ ruled out prosecution in the case, while the Oklahoma Supreme Court last year for redress.
Solomon-Simmons and his team, who have been fighting for years for acknowledgment and repair, hailed Sunday's announcement as a breakthrough.
"In 1921 Black Wall Street was a symbol of what was possible for Black America, and today, Mayor Nichols has taken a meaningful step toward making Greenwood a symbol once again – not just of what was lost, but of what we can rebuild together," said attorney and professor Eric J. Miller.
"This is a significant and hopeful moment," Solomon-Simmons added. "But it's also just the beginning. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the mayor’s team and the broader community to build something enduring – rooted in justice, guided by the survivors and descendants, and grounded in the truth."
