The Oklahoma Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday in a historic case concerning the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, focusing on the demands for reparations by survivors Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Fletcher, both 109 years old.
The two resilient women have brought forth a public nuisance lawsuit in pursuit of justice for one of the darkest chapters in American history, which saw the decimation of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, then a flourishing African American business hub known as Black Wall Street.
Another case hit a roadblock last July when a Tulsa district judge dismissed the lawsuit, prompting an immediate appeal. Complicating it, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters, stated last year that race was not a pivotal factor in the massacre.
That comment was challenged by the survivor’s attorney, Damario Solomon-Simmons, who says the massacre was intrinsically tied to race and hatred, and that it’s crucial to this case. Simmons also says the case has never gotten this far, and this could be the only opportunity for justice to prevail.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
