By Steve Neavling
The Justice Department announced Monday that it will conduct a comprehensive review of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, marking the first time the federal government has formally investigated the devastating attack by a white mob on the thriving Black community in Greenwood, known as Black Wall Street, the Associated Press reports.
The massacre, one of the deadliest instances of racial violence in U.S. history, resulted in the deaths of as many as 300 Black residents and the destruction of over 1,200 homes, businesses, and places of worship.
The review is part of a federal cold-case initiative that has previously reopened Civil Rights Era cases, though Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke cautioned that no prosecutions are expected, as there may be no living individuals to hold accountable. Despite that, the federal inquiry has been welcomed by descendants of survivors, who have long advocated for more meaningful recognition and compensation.
“We acknowledge descendants of the survivors, and the victims continue to bear the trauma of this act of racial terrorism,” Clarke said during her remarks in Washington.
Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, representing the last known survivors of the massacre, celebrated the announcement as a long-overdue victory. “It only took 103 years, but this is a joyous occasion,” he said.
“It is about time,” said Solomon-Simmons, standing with descendants of massacre survivors. “It only took 103 years, but this is a joyous occasion, a momentous day, an amazing opportunity for us to make sure that what happened here in Tulsa is understood for what it was — the largest crime scene in the history of this country.”
As many as 300 Black residents lost their lives, and more than 1,200 homes, businesses, schools, and churches were reduced to ashes when a white mob, some of whom were deputized by local authorities, stormed the Greenwood District. This area, known as Black Wall Street, was looted and set ablaze, while thousands of survivors were placed in internment camps run by the National Guard.
