Members of a nonprofit organization recently presented a bill dedicated to giving Greenwood, Oklahoma national monument status.
On Wednesday, members of the Historic Greenwood District Black Wall Street National Monument Coalition were present at a hearing held in front of Congress for the bipartisan bill. In their statement, the group argued that, by granting Greenwood monumental status, the lawmakers could help start a “resurgence” for what was once considered Black Wall Street.
Led by Tiffany Crutcher from the Terence Crutcher Foundation and Reuben Gant from the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation, multiple descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre gathered on Tuesday in support of granting Greenwood monument status. Per ABC, their statements were added to the bill’s record.
The bill is currently under consideration by the Senate. Senators Cory Booker and James Lankford have previously introduced it to show their support.
The Historic Greenwood District/Black Wall Street Coalition is calling on @POTUS to designate #BlackWallStreet as a National Monument.
— Monuments For All (@MonumentsForUSA) February 5, 2024
Join the call to protect Black Wall Street: go to https://t.co/rcW3YphXxg pic.twitter.com/aq6ngWWU0w
“May 31, 2024, marks 103 years since the start of a ruthless effort to wipe Black Wall Street off the map — and a state-sponsored campaign to erase it from America’s memory,” said the Historic Greenwood District Black Wall Street National Monument Coalition per ABC. “With one voice, we stress to this subcommittee that the time is now to help us preserve the rich heritage and lessons that make this community such an indelible part of our nation’s story.”
Once considered to be an economic hub for nearly 10,000 residents as one of the fastest growing communities, Greenwood, known as Black Wall Street, was looted and burned down by a white mob in a two-day attack in 1921.
The massacre first began when teenage shoe shiner Dick Rowland was accused of assaulting elevator operator Sarah Page in Tulsa; after an inflammatory report by a local news station spread the story, a white supremacist mob descended on the town in an attack that left 35 city blocks destroyed and over 800 people injured. An estimated 300 people are now listed as having died from the event.
Currently, there are two living survivors from the Tulsa Race Massacre- Viola Fletcher, known as “Mother Fletcher,” and Lessie Benningfield Randle, known as “Mother Randle.”
The new bill to give Greenwood monumental status comes admist Fletcher’s birthday. Considered to be the oldest of the surviving witnesses, she recently celebrated her 110th birthday.
“I’m real proud to be this age,” said Fletcher per NBC News-affiliate KRJH. “I have many, so many I can’t mention, but it’s a blessing to live this long and easy to do. If I can do it, others can.”
