Years before the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed a long-fought lawsuit seeking reparations to compensate the last two centenarian survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the lead lawyer and a team were already working on a larger plan to repair century-old harms.
On Tuesday, Damario Solomon-Simmons unveiled Project Greenwood, a sweeping plan to restore the city’s Greenwood district — which was destroyed in 1921 by a mob of white Tulsans — and to compensate massacre survivors and descendants.
The project provides survivors and the descendants “a tangible benefit to move forward — it’s something we have needed for 104 years,” said Mr. Solomon-Simmons, who filed the dismissed case seeking reparations in 2020. “But it’s also great for the city of Tulsa, because this will promote true healing and conciliation. It will remove the dark cloud that sits on top of Tulsa now because of the massacre.”
The plan calls for several forms of financial redress, but the priority is reparations for Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Ford Fletcher, the 110-year-old survivors who were young children at the time.
7 Comments
Michelangelo
This is just another example of "cancel culture." We need to stop trying to erase history.
Raphael
This is an attempt to rewrite history. The massacre was a terrible tragedy, but we can't change what happened.
Donatello
Reparations are a moral imperative. We have a responsibility to right the wrongs of the past.
Leonardo
This is a victory for justice! I'm grateful to everyone who worked to make this plan a reality.
Raphael
Reparations will only create more resentment and division.
Michelangelo
What about other groups who have suffered historical injustices? Shouldn't they also receive compensation?
Leonardo
This is about more than just money. It's about acknowledging the suffering of the victims and survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre.