A living link to American history has been broken. Viola Fletcher has died at the age of 111. She was the oldest survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Fletcher was just a child during the attack. White mobs destroyed her affluent Black neighborhood of Greenwood. This area was famously known as “Black Wall Street.”
For over a century, Fletcher carried traumatic memories of that destruction. Eventually, she became a powerful voice for justice and reparations.
“111 Years of Truth”
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols announced her passing on Tuesday. He honored her enduring strength in a statement.
“Today, our city mourns the loss of Mother Viola Fletcher,” Nichols said. He called her a survivor of one of the city’s darkest chapters.
“Fletcher carried 111 years of truth, resilience, and grace,” Nichols added. He noted that she was a reminder of how far the city still must go.
A Night of Horror
The massacre began on May 31, 1921. It started following a confrontation at the local courthouse.
A group of Black men gathered to defend a young African American man. He had been accused of assaulting a white woman. However, a hostile white mob met them with gunfire. Consequently, the men retreated to Greenwood.
By dawn the next day, the violence spiraled out of control. White rioters looted homes and burned businesses. They leveled the thriving district.
Historians estimate that as many as 300 African American residents were killed. Furthermore, thousands were left homeless in the wake of the attacks.
“I Still Hear the Screams”
Fletcher spent decades living in poverty. She dropped out of elementary school and worked primarily as a housekeeper for white families. Yet, the memories of 1921 never faded.
In 2021, she testified before Congress on the massacre’s centennial. She delivered a haunting account of the violence she witnessed as a seven-year-old girl.
“I still see Black men being shot,” she told the House Judiciary Committee. “I still hear the screams.”
She insisted that the country must not forget this history.
The Last Witness
Fletcher was a central figure in the fight for reparations. An investigation concluded that Tulsa authorities armed some of the rioters. It recommended compensation for victims. However, this effort ultimately failed in the courts.
With Fletcher’s passing, only one witness remains. Lessie Evelyn Benningfield is the last known survivor of the massacre. At 111 years old, she now stands alone as the final living witness to the destruction of Black Wall Street.
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