The quest to secure justice for the last remaining survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, as well as compensation for their descendants, continues despite various setbacks. A new commission seeks to redress the injustice of the massacre, even as politicians differ on the role cash payouts may play in the process.
‘Beyond Apology Commission’ seeking to address housing inequities
Earlier this year, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum signed an executive order “creating the Beyond Apology Commission” to address the 1921 massacre that destroyed the city’s Greenwood District, a previously thriving African American neighborhood known as “Black Wall Street.” The commission is also tasked with addressing lingering inequalities between the different parts of the city, such as lower wages, fewer banking options and the existence of “food deserts” in parts of the city populated by Black residents. The commission, made up of a mix of city officials, experts and representatives of the Greenwood community, is intended “to reconcile, restore, and unite Tulsa in a goal of shared prosperity for all Tulsans by advancing and restoring economic mobility, prosperity, and intergenerational wealth for the 1921 Race Massacre survivors, their descendants, and residents of North Tulsa, in particular the historic Greenwood District and surrounding neighborhoods,” per the executive order.
The commission recently held its first meeting, taking up the task of addressing housing inequities in the city. “We know this is not a fix to reparations and it’s nowhere near a solution to it,” Kristi Williams, a descendant of one of the massacre’s survivors as well as the legal and legislative expert for the commission, said, KJRH 2 News Oklahoma reported. “But this is something that can be done on a local level, and housing was one of those things that the mayor said that he could do, and so now we are just getting this task force together to see how can we implement that.” The commission is set to present its housing plan to the mayor and the city council by the end of November 2024.
Disagreement on reparations
While the commission seeks to recommend policies to address housing and other issues, there remains disagreement about more direct measures to compensate the survivors and descendants of the Tulsa massacre. While talking about the work of the commission, Bynum said, “Reparations, unfortunately, is such a loaded term here in the United States in the 21st century,” according to News 9. He continued, “And a lot of people hear that, and they immediately think, well, ‘People just want checks written to them. I’m against it.’”
The group Justice For Greenwood interpreted Bynum’s remarks as ruling out cash reparations as part of the commission’s work. “Despite launching a ‘reparations’ commission this week, the Mayor dismissed the idea of Black Americans receiving reparations in the form of financial compensation as too polarizing,” the nonprofit wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Despite launching a ‘reparations’ commission this week, the Mayor dismissed the idea of Black Americans receiving reparations in the form of financial compensation as too polarizing. https://t.co/bYAAotb7i3
— Justice For Greenwood (@Just4Greenwood) October 18, 2024
Even if Bynum is against reparations, another politician is moving in that direction. Congressman Al Green, a Texas Democrat who represents part of the Greater Houston area, is seeking to propose legislation to provide a total of $40 million in compensation to 110-year-old Viola Fletcher and 109-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle, the last two living survivors of the massacre. “I think $10 million apiece is not too much” for each survivor, Congressman Green said, Tulsa World reported. “And I think there ought to be some punitive damages along with compensatory damages. Another $10 million.”
It remains to be seen whether other members of Congress will join Green in supporting reparations for Fletcher and Randle, or if an ongoing Department of Justice investigation into the massacre will result in reparations or other forms of concrete action. But even as the surviving population of the Greenwood massacre grows smaller, hope remains that long-delayed justice will finally come to pass.