The survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre did not receive justice after a judge dismissed a lawsuit that would have provided reparations for the attacks.
Lessie Benningfield Randle, Viola Fletcher, and Hughes Van Ellis are the last known survivors of the massacre that destroyed Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They filed a lawsuit seeking reparations for the traumatic event.
Black Wall Street was a thriving community where Black businesses and medical facilities provided opportunities for success and wealth building.
But in 1921, a mob of white terrorists destroyed the town, killing 300 Black people. Local newspapers claimed that the attacks began after a young Black male was in an elevator with a white girl. A false narrative emerged which sparked mass violence from whites.
The land was also stolen and Black Wall Street was never rebuilt. Randle’s grandmother’s home was looted and destroyed, causing generational wealth to be stolen from her family.
Judge Caroline Wall, a right-wing conservative, dismissed the lawsuit filed by Randle, Fletcher, and Van Ellis. Wall dismissed the suit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled in state court.
Randle, Fletcher, and Van Ellis have yet to release a statement.
