Oldest Living Survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre Tells Her Story

By Alexis Taylor | The AFRO | Word In Black This& post& was originally published on& Afro Credit: AFRO Photo/Stephen Hopkins (WIB) – Viola Ford Fletcher was a mere seven years old when she was forced to reckon with hatred and racism in America. The date was May 31.& The place was the Greenwood section of Tulsa, Okla., and at the time it was known as the “Black Wall Street.” African-American entrepreneurs and leaders from every walk of life called the area home as they worked to build and sustain the safe haven they created.& From churches to libraries, schools, and —& yes —& even a hospital, the Black people of Greenwood stood tall on their accomplishments. They were a proud people, carving out the best life they could in Jim Crow’s America. But in 1921, being African American and thriving– not just surviving–was an offense paid for in blood.& “On the morning of May 30, 1921, a young Black man named Dick Rowland was riding in the elevator in the Drexel Building at Third and Main with a White woman named Sarah Page,” according to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum. What happened next is debatable.& The National Archives...