The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a forthcoming civil rights review of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, an atrocity in American history that saw a white mob destroy the thriving Black neighborhood of Greenwood, Tulsa—commonly known as Black Wall Street. This review, which marks the first federal inquiry into the event, is part of an ongoing effort to revisit cold Civil Rights era cases. Although no prosecutions are expected given the time elapsed since the massacre, the move is being welcomed by survivors’ descendants who have long sought justice and reparations.
The massacre, one of the deadliest instances of racial violence in U.S. history, claimed as many as 300 lives and left more than 1,200 homes, businesses, schools, and churches burned to the ground. Thousands of Black residents were forced into internment camps under the supervision of the National Guard, and the once-prosperous Greenwood District was reduced to ashes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke made the announcement on Monday, stating that the Justice Department plans to issue a public report by the end of the year outlining its findings. Clarke acknowledged that the trauma of this brutal act of racial terrorism continues to weigh heavily on the descendants of survivors, who have fought for decades for proper recognition and compensation.
“We acknowledge that descendants of survivors and the victims continue to bear the trauma of this act of racial terrorism,” Clarke said, highlighting the importance of federal action even in the absence of potential prosecutions.
The review was met with optimism by descendants and their advocates. Damario Solomon-Simmons, an attorney representing the last known survivors of the massacre, described the Justice Department’s decision as a “momentous day.” Solomon-Simmons, whose clients include Viola Fletcher, 110, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 109, has been at the forefront of legal battles seeking reparations for survivors and their families.
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“It only took 103 years, but this is a joyous occasion,” Solomon-Simmons said while standing alongside descendants of survivors. “This is an amazing opportunity to ensure that what happened in Tulsa is recognized for what it was—the largest crime scene in this country’s history.”
The renewed focus on the Tulsa Race Massacre comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by survivors seeking financial reparations. Although the court acknowledged the legitimacy of the plaintiffs’ grievances, it ruled that their claims did not fall within the scope of the state’s public nuisance statute. The decision was a significant setback for those hoping for legal redress through the courts, but Solomon-Simmons continued his advocacy by requesting a federal investigation.
This request was made under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which was enacted in 2008 to reopen cold cases from the Civil Rights era. Since its passage, the Justice Department has investigated 137 cases involving 160 victims, with some resulting in successful prosecutions.
Despite these efforts, the DOJ acknowledged in a report to Congress last year that cases predating 1968 face considerable legal challenges. “Even with our best efforts, investigations into historic cases are exceptionally difficult, and justice is rarely achieved in the courtroom,” the report stated. Still, the Act has led to two successful federal prosecutions and three state convictions, including the conviction of Klansmen responsible for the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama church that killed four young Black girls.
As the Justice Department moves forward with its review of the Tulsa massacre, many see it as a significant step toward addressing a long-overlooked chapter of racial violence in the U.S. While it remains uncertain whether this inquiry will lead to any further legal actions, it is clear that the fight for justice, recognition, and accountability continues, more than a century after Greenwood was erased from the map.
