Lessie Benningfield Randle is 109 years old. Viola Fletcher is 110. They’ve lived through a century that most of us can only learn about in history books—if we’re lucky enough to find the truth there. Yet, for these two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, history is not some distant chapter to be neatly tucked away. It is the lived reality of unrelenting trauma, a century of unresolved grief, and a battle for justice that remains unmet.
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 wasn’t just an event. It was an atrocity. It was a deliberate and coordinated attack on Black excellence, aimed at the heart of what we now know as Greenwood, or Black Wall Street. White mobs descended on the prosperous, thriving Black community, murdering hundreds of Black men, women, and children. They leveled businesses and homes, leaving nothing but smoldering ashes in their wake. The lives destroyed and the generational wealth erased in that brutal moment are incalculable. And yet, here we are—103 years later—still waiting for America to reckon with this dark chapter.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice finally announced that it will review and evaluate the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. It’s the first time the federal government has formally initiated an inquiry into this crime in over a century. Congressman Al Green, representing Texas, was among the first to commend the Biden administration for this historic move. Green’s voice has long echoed in halls of power, calling for accountability and justice, but the question remains: Why has it taken so long for the wheels of justice to even begin to turn for Black Americans in Tulsa?
The survivors of the massacre, like Lessie and Viola, are not nameless victims. They are symbols of resilience, walking testaments to the enduring spirit of Black people in the face of systemic violence. These women watched as the courts continuously turned their backs on their pursuit of justice. They bore witness as the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed their historic lawsuit against the City of Tulsa, a case that could have been their last chance at formal acknowledgment of their suffering.
Congressman Al Green is right to continue pressing for action. His letter to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland is a call to conscience. “The Survivors experienced one of the most horrific acts of violence perpetrated against Black people in American history,” Green wrote. “Yet, over a century later, they have received no compensation for the material and mental damages incurred or the opportunities they lost.”
It is incomprehensible that no court has ever held a trial addressing the massacre. Not one perpetrator has been held accountable. Not one penny of reparations has been paid. This lack of action speaks volumes about the value—or lack thereof—this country has historically placed on Black lives. Would the same be true if it were white lives, white businesses, and white futures that were so violently destroyed?
Green’s words resonate: “Had this criminal abomination been perpetrated on White Americans, the courts would have awarded the White victims compensatory as well as punitive monetary justice. The Black American victims should receive no less.” His sentiment is not a stretch. It is a fact. The reality is, America has shown us time and time again that when it comes to compensating its Black citizens for centuries of oppression, exploitation, and violence, the doors of justice remain firmly closed.
There are those who would say it’s too late. That too much time has passed for the survivors of Tulsa to ever see true justice. But to dismiss this moment as one simply of symbolism would be to dismiss the ongoing impact of that massacre on generations of Black families. The loss of wealth in Greenwood was not just a financial blow—it was a spiritual and cultural one, too. It robbed Black families of their futures, their sense of security, and their place in the American dream.
To begin any sort of reckoning, we must first recognize that what happened in Tulsa was a clear message sent to Black America: You may succeed, but your success is not safe here. And while we live in an era where the rhetoric of opportunity and progress flows freely, the ghosts of Tulsa—and so many other racial massacres—still linger.
Green is not wrong in his plea for action. He is not wrong to call on President Biden to do everything in his power to bring about justice for the remaining survivors. The Tulsa Race Massacre represents not just a singular tragedy but a longstanding pattern of racial violence in this country. The history of lynchings and mob violence demands accountability, not just for the survivors but for the Black community as a whole.
It’s not enough for us to simply acknowledge these atrocities. We must repair them. The investigation into Tulsa must not be a mere gesture—it must be the first step in a broader movement toward reparative justice for Black Americans. Without it, we remain trapped in a cycle where Black pain is acknowledged but never truly addressed. Where our communities continue to bear the scars of systemic racism without receiving the healing we deserve.
Congressman Green is mulling congressional action, and it’s about time. It is time for this country to confront its past in a way that is meaningful, substantive, and transformative. The survivors of Tulsa deserve to see justice in their lifetimes. The descendants of Black Wall Street deserve to see their ancestors’ legacies restored.
America must ask itself: What kind of country are we if we continue to allow the ghosts of Greenwood to walk among us, unacknowledged and unavenged? We owe it to the survivors. We owe it to the descendants of Black Wall Street. And most importantly, we owe it to ourselves. To finally live up to the promises of justice and equality that this nation has so often denied its Black citizens.
This investigation could be the turning point, but only if we push for more. Only if we refuse to let the legacy of Tulsa remain buried under the rubble of time. It’s time to rise, as a community, as a people, and as a nation committed to justice for all.
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