Tulsa Race Riot Survivors: Justice at Hand
The changes sweeping through Washington are a source of hope and pride for many Americans. But for long-ago residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma, they could also mean resolution of a legal struggle that began in 1921.
That spring, a wave of racial violence destroyed the prosperous Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood, once known as “The Black Wall Street.” In a 24-hour timespan, rampaging whites killed an estimated 300 or more people and reduced a 35-block area to rubble. Dozens of black-owned businesses were destroyed. Though survivors filed lawsuits, the Oklahoma courts rejected them out of hand.
In 2003, the remaining survivors—by then in their 80s, 90s, and 100s—again tried to secure justice. Led by Harvard law professor Charles J. Ogletree, a team of legal experts filed a new claim on their behalf, only to see it denied on the grounds that the statute of limitations had run out. Appeals went all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court, which in 2005 declined to hear the case. In terms of the legal system, the survivors had hit the wall.
They turned to Congress. In April 2007, a bill addressing the survivors’ legal rights was introduced in the House of Representatives. Survivor Dr. Olivia Hooker and noted historian Dr. John Hope Franklin—son of survivor B. C. Franklin—were among those who spoke at a House judiciary committee hearing. (Before They Die!, a film about the survivors’ struggle for justice, includes riveting footage of their testimony, click here for a preview.)
Now that the 111th Congress has convened, a revised version of the bill (known as the Tulsa-Greenwood Race Riot Claims Accountability Act) is expected to be presented quickly. Modeled on the 1988 law giving reparations to Asian Americans who had been interned during World War II, it proposes compensation for victims and their descendants, and resources for educating the public about the riot and its aftermath.
“We’re optimistic that there will be some important progress occurring in short order,” says Prof. Ogletree. “Congress is now aware of [the] travesty that happened more than 80 years ago, and they have a definite interest in the resolution.”
So does the White House. In 2005, when survivors went to Washington for the Supreme Court ruling, Prof. Ogletree—one of the president’s mentors at Harvard and an advisor to his campaign—introduced them to then-Senator Obama, who took a personal interest in their cause. “He has been very conscious and aware of [the situation],” says Prof. Ogletree, “and very much protective of the rights and interests of the survivors.”
In October 2008 Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor hosted the premiere of Before They Die! at the Tulsa Perfroming Arts Center. Twenty-five of the 66 known living survivors of the riot attended the screening, along with Tulsa-born actress Alfre Woodard.
According to Associated Press coverage of the screening, Mayor Taylor was asked by an audience member why no one had ever apologized for the riot. In response, she stated, “Let me as mayor say to the survivors of the 1921 race riot, we are sorry.” Otis Clark—at 105 the oldest living survivor—also spoke at the screening. “I think we put away a lot of the prejudices,” he said.
November 2008 saw the groundbreaking for Tulsa’s John Hope Franklin Park, a memorial to victims of the riot. Scheduled for completion in mid-2009, the park is the first phase of the proposed John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation, which, when completed, will include a research library, museum, and education center.
The passing of Dr. John Hope Franklin this March has spurned those on Capital Hill to re-focus their efforts towards passage of HR 1995. It is expected to be renamed in Franklin’s honor.—Susan Delson
Before They Die!, a film about the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot and the survivors’ fight for justice, is touring the country as a fundraiser for the survivors. Director Reginald Turner presents the film at each screening, and survivors also attend many screenings to speak about their experiences.
For more information, visit beforetheydiemovie.com.