Viola Ford Fletcher, Last Survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre, Dies

(MENAFN) Viola Ford Fletcher, recognized as the oldest surviving witness of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, passed away on Monday at the age of 111, according to US media reports.

Fletcher died in a Tulsa hospital in Oklahoma while surrounded by her loved ones, her grandson Ike Howard shared with the press.

In 2021, she delivered testimony before Congress, recounting her personal experience of surviving the massacre.

The tragic event unfolded over two days, beginning on May 31, 1921, after a local newspaper ran a story about a Black man accused of assaulting a white woman.

Tensions escalated when a white mob gathered outside the courthouse where the man was detained. Black residents of Tulsa, armed to prevent a potential lynching, arrived in defense, prompting a violent response from white citizens.

The assault devastated the predominantly Black and prosperous Greenwood neighborhood, often referred to as “Black Wall Street” due to its concentration of Black-owned businesses. Hundreds of people were killed or injured during the rampage.

Over 1,200 homes and numerous Black-owned establishments were destroyed, leaving more than 30 city blocks in ruins and erasing decades of economic and social progress.

The precise death and injury toll remains uncertain, with estimates varying considerably.

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