Tulsa aftermath – Jun 1, 1921

The 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is one of the worst episodes of racial violence in US history. The plan includes investments in housing, education, and historic preservation, and follows decades of pressure from descendants and community advocates.

“For 104 years, the Tulsa Race Massacre has been a stain on our city’s history,” said Mayor Monroe Nichols, Tulsa’s first black mayor. “We have worked to recognise and remember, but now it’s time to restore.”

The massacre destroyed the prosperous Greenwood district – dubbed “Black Wall Street” – killing more than 300 people and displacing thousands. None of the perpetrators were arrested, and no insurance claims were paid.

The reparations fund, supported by private capital through the Greenwood Trust, will direct $24m to housing, $60m to preservation, and $21m to education, small business grants, and victim identification efforts.

“This marks a historic moment where the city of Tulsa is not just acknowledging past harm, but taking real steps toward repair,” said justice activist Kristi Williams, a descendant of massacre survivors.

The 1921 violence was ignited by a sensationalised newspaper report after a black teenager, Dick Rowland, was accused of assaulting a white girl in an elevator. Though the charge was later dropped, a white mob attacked the courthouse, prompting black veterans to intervene. The ensuing violence razed 35 blocks of Greenwood.

The massacre was long covered up. Tulsa did not formally apologise until 2021, and lawsuits brought by surviving victims were dismissed last year. Mr Nichols said the new plan seeks to replace broken promises and long-denied justice.

“The Greenwood community has waited over a century for meaningful repair,” Tulsa City Council member Vanessa Hall-Harper said. “Our call for $24 million in housing reparations is a direct response to the generational theft of black wealth that began in 1921 and continued through redlining, urban renewal and neglect. This moment reflects what is possible when leadership listens to the people, and I am proud that we have a mayor who has done just that.”