Viola Ford Fletcher, one the oldest living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, turned 110 on May 5. Family, friends and neighbors joined together Friday to celebrate with food, flowers and music.
The Tulsa Race Massacre, a devastating event that decimated Tulsa’s Greenwood District, also known as “Black Wall Street,” still resonates through the lives of its few remaining survivors.
The massacre, which took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, is believed by historians to have killed up to 300 people. It was a pivotal and tragic moment in American history that did not receive the attention it deserved for many years.
The violence erupted following an incident on May 30, 1921, when Dick Rowland, a young Black man, shared an elevator ride with a white woman named Sarah Page.
Although the exact details of their interaction are unclear, exaggerated reports spread among the white residents of Tulsa, leading to Rowland’s arrest.
The Tulsa Tribune published an inflammatory article that same day, which incited armed mobs of both Black and white residents to gather outside the courthouse.
Tensions escalated, shots were fired, and the chaos spilled into Greenwood. White rioters looted and set fire to the district, forcing Black residents to flee their homes and seek refuge, some at the Fairgrounds, for over a week.
The violence subsided within 24 hours, but the aftermath was catastrophic: 35 city blocks were reduced to ashes, more than 800 people were injured, and dozens were killed, although many historians estimate the death toll to be in the hundreds.
Despite the scale of destruction and loss of life, no one was prosecuted for the murders.
Efforts to seek justice and acknowledgment for the massacre have been ongoing.
In 2001, the Oklahoma state government organized the official Race Riot Commission, and multiple lawsuits have been filed against the city and the state.
Survivors like Viola Fletcher, her younger brother Hughes Van Ellis, and Lessie Benningfield Randle continue to share their testimonies, including a significant moment when they testified before Congress on May 19, 2021.
“I have lived through the massacre every day,” said Viola Fletcher. “Our country may forget this history, but I cannot.”
As Fletcher turns 110, her life reminds the world about the resilience and enduring spirit of the survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, ensuring that the tragic events of that night remain a significant part of American history.
