Welp, it solely took 103 years and roughly 4 months, however the Division of Justice introduced Tuesday that it’s going to launch a federal evaluate of the 1921 Tulsa Race Bloodbath.
In keeping with ABC Information, the federal Civil Rights Division’s Chilly Case Unit is conducting a full evaluate of the bloodbath, during which a white mob attacked, lynched and destroyed a whole prosperous Black city in Oklahoma — leveling greater than 1,000 properties and companies and killing tons of of Black residents — all as a result of a single Black man was accused of raping a single white lady.
Kristen Clarke, the assistant lawyer normal for civil rights who introduced the evaluate in a press release Monday, referred to the bloodbath as “one of many deadliest episodes of mass racial violence on this nation’s historical past.”
So — to not be a Debbie Downer right here — however one can’t assist however marvel what’s even the purpose of all this. In spite of everything, the announcement of the evaluate comes months after the Oklahoma Supreme Court docket instructed the final survivors of the bloodbath — Lessie Benningfield Randle, 109, and Viola Ford Fletcher, 110 — and their households in June and July that they aren’t owed reparations for the bloodbath that they skilled firsthand. Contemplating this, and the truth that there aren’t any dwelling perpetrators of the atrocity to carry accountable, it’s controversial that this evaluate is sort of performative.
Actually, the evaluate is being carried out underneath the Emmett Until Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which brings to thoughts the truth that latest investigations into the brutal, evil and egregiously racist torture and killing of Emmett Until have additionally been carried out by legislation enforcement officers in Mississippi, and people investigations resulted in completely zero being executed to carry anybody accountable.
Nonetheless, Damario Solomon-Simmons, the lead lawyer representing the survivors of the bloodbath, celebrated the choice in a press convention Monday.
“I’m so excited to announce that this morning, Assistant Lawyer Common for Civil Rights, Kristen Clarke introduced that the USA Federal Authorities Division of Justice will open a evaluate and analysis of the 1921 Tulsa race bloodbath,” Solomon-Simmons mentioned. “It’s about time! It solely took 103 years.”
Solomon-Simmons did handle the difficulty of reparations, saying, “This neighborhood would by no means cease preventing for reparations. This neighborhood would always remember what occurred to our folks, only for being Black, only for being profitable.”
“So we’re excited right now. This has been a troublesome journey, loads of obstacles, loads of odds, loads of opposition, however right now we’ve got a victory,” he continued.
Tiffany Crutcher, a descendant of a survivor of the bloodbath who based the Terence Crutcher Basis and serves as the inspiration’s govt director, additionally expressed gratitude for the evaluate, acknowledging that what occurred in Tulsa greater than a century in the past has been “ignored for a lot too lengthy.”
“At this time, my household and neighborhood are deeply grateful that the U.S. Division of Justice is lastly making ready to evaluate the 1921 Tulsa race bloodbath,” she mentioned. “I depart you with this quote from my mentor, our mentor, Bryan Stevenson, this neighborhood will proceed to face on hope, and hope is what’s going to get you to face up when folks let you know to take a seat down, and right now, we proceed to face.”
To make certain, it is about time. It’s simply unlucky that it’s solely occurring after all the pieces is lengthy mentioned and executed, and nobody concerned within the bloodbath may be held to account or supplied restitution. It can, nonetheless, be attention-grabbing to see what this evaluate turns up, what new info we are going to be taught, if any, and, most significantly, the way it will impression the best way we as a nation grapple with racial violence and injustice sooner or later.
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