(Black PR Wire) NATIONAL – Recently, the Department of Justice issued a report on the Tulsa Race Massacre following a months-long review and evaluation. The report found that there is no living perpetrator to be prosecuted but publicly acknowledged the events and recognized the crimes committed, moving towards the closure long sought by descendants of victims of the massacre.

The review began September 2024, more than 100 years after the Tulsa Race Massacre took place. On May 31st of 1921, Black residents of the neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma were attacked and murdered by a group of white Tulsans. Greenwood, which is now remembered as “Black Wall Street,” was at the time a vibrant neighborhood and a thriving site of Black business and economic prosperity. In the attack, hundreds of Black people lost their lives; their houses, churches, and businesses were burned down; and their property was stolen; completely decimating the community. In the century since, there has been no recourse for the crimes committed, despite survivors and descendants demanding civil and financial reparations.

The Department of Justice’s report, done under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act, is the first time the Justice Department has acknowledged the crimes committed in 1921 and conceded that the massacre was a deliberate, racially-motivated act. While their evaluation found no method of restitution, it confirms the continued need for community engagement and social justice efforts.

Brandon Tucker, Senior Director of Policy and Government Affairs at Color Of Change, issued the following statement:

“Learning that no justice will be served in the Tulsa Race Massacre outside of recognition that this atrocity took place is not surprising. We must develop the will to create new mechanisms for restitution—not only for the victims of this mass murder but for Black families affected by every instance of large-scale violence inflicted by white supremacist groups, law enforcement, and lynch mobs that have devastated Black communities and eroded generations of Black wealth. We must move beyond recognition to action, and explore new ways to address and heal the injustices perpetrated against Black people in this country.”

The Tulsa Race Massacre is another instance of state-sanctioned violence against Black communities which has gone largely unrecognized. The efforts to erase this moment in history, which has lasting effects a century later, have further hindered the pursuit of justice and attest to the country’s large scale acceptance of anti-Black violence. The Department of Justice’s recognition of the egregious wrong done against the residents and descendants of Greenwood is an essential first step, but there is much more to be done for racial recognition. Color Of Change calls on government leaders, advocates, and the public to support policies and initiatives that reform the legal system, ensuring justice for all those harmed by white supremacy.

“The Justice Department’s report on the Tulsa Race Massacre is the culmination of a community’s desire to seek justice. But this is just the beginning. We must fight to make sure this community and so many others that have been wounded by white supremacy receive healing.”

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ABOUT COLOR OF CHANGE:

Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by millions of members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org

Source: Color Of Change