WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly 100 years ago, white mobs descended on an all-Black community in Oklahoma, leaving a trail of death and destruction.
The Tulsa Race Massacre is now considered one of the worst episodes of racial violence in American history.
At an extraordinary hearing in Washington on Wednesday, three elderly survivors of the massacre demanded justice.
Viola Fletcher, 107, is the oldest living survivor of the massacre.
She still vividly remembers when white mobs entered the all-black community of Greenwood where she lived, killing an estimated 300 people, destroying businesses and leaving as many as 10,000 homeless.
“We lost everything that day. Our homes. Our churches. Our newspapers. Our theaters. Our lives. Greenwood represented all the best of what was possible for Black people in America,” she said.
It was an ugly chapter in America's history. At a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, survivors said the consequences of the massacre are still felt today.
“When my family was forced to leave Tulsa, I lost my chance of an education. Most of my life I was a domestic worker for white families. I never made much money but to this day I can barely afford my everyday needs,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher, her 100-year-old brother and a third survivor who testified filed a lawsuit last year against Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma seeking reparations. They also are asking Congress to consider legal remedies to compensate survivors and their descendants.
“I still believe in America. I still believe in the ideals that I fought overseas to defend. Please do not let me leave this earth without justice. Thank you so much,” said Hughes Van Ellis, Fletcher’s brother.