Tulsa race massacre survivors call for DOJ investigation after dismissal of reparations case

By Megan SaylesAFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com It’s been more than a century since a White mob looted, bombed and burned down Greenwood’s thriving Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Okla., destroying one of the wealthiest African-American communities in the country. Still, no trial has been conducted, and no one has been held legally responsible for what experts consider one of the most severe instances of racial violence in U.S. history.& Tulsa race massacre survivors Viola Fletcher, left, and Lessie Benningfield Randle are asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to uphold the dismissal of their reparations lawsuit against the city of Tulsa. The centenarians have also asked the federal government to launch an investigation into the 1921 race riot. (Photo courtesy of Justice for Greenwood) In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld a 2023 decision made by a Tulsa district court judge, dismissing a case for reparations led by those who lived through the race riot. The two remaining survivors, 110-year-old Viola Fletcher and 109-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle, denounced the decision and called for a federal investigation into the massacre on July 2.& “Although our quest for justice in Oklahoma may be over, for as long as we remain in...