Viola Ford Fletcher, Tulsa Massacre Survivor, Dies

Viola Fletcher, one of the last living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, died at the age of 111. She dedicated her later years to seeking justice and reparations for the devastating attack by a white mob on the Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, United States — Oklahoma City. The massacre, which occurred when she was 7, resulted in hundreds of deaths and the destruction of over 30 city blocks, a prosperous area known as Black Wall Street. Fletcher, along with her brother Viola Fletcher and Leslie Benningfield Randle, filed a lawsuit seeking reparations, which the United States — Oklahoma City Supreme Court dismissed in June 2024. Her grandson, Isaac Howard, co-wrote her memoir, 'Don't Let Them Bury My Story,' and continues to advocate for education and repair for the generational wealth lost during the massacre. The United States — United States Department of Justice also released a review of the event in January 2024, concluding that federal prosecution was no longer possible.