Title
Urging Congress to pursue reconciliation and reparations regarding the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and the lasting devastation it caused.
Body
WHEREAS, 2021 marks the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history; and
WHEREAS, In 1921, the Greenwood area of Tulsa was a prosperous Black community, commonly known as "Black Wall Street." Most of the Black residents of Tulsa lived in the neighborhood, where they had created their own businesses and services in the enclave to escape the segregated and racially tense atmosphere that existed elsewhere in Tulsa. Black-owned grocers, newspapers, movie theatres, nightclubs, churches, and other institutions proliferated and thrived in Greenwood; and
WHEREAS, On May 30, 1921, a Black teenager named Dick Rowland entered an elevator at the Drexel Building, operated by a White elevator operator, Sarah Paige. Based upon reports of screams from inside the elevator, which were later proven false, police arrested Rowland the next day; and
WHEREAS, White-owned newspapers reported on the arrest and the false assault allegations, which was followed by the formation of a violent mob. The mob gathered outside the local courthouse at night and attempted to lynch Rowland. A group of Black residents also gathered at the courthouse to offer aid in protecting Rowland. As tension grew, members of the White mob attempted to break into a National Guard Armory. At the height of the standoff, shots were fired, and chaos broke out as many retreated to Greenwood; and
WHEREAS, Over the next 18 hours of June 1st, thousands of White Tulsa residents flooded into Greenwood, looting and burning homes and businesses over an area of 35 city blocks, committing numerous acts of violence against Black residents. This attack included groups of White Tulsans that were deputized and armed by city officials; and
WHEREAS, An estimate from the Red Cross found some 1,256 houses were burned, while 215 ...
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