*Viola Fletcher, who carried the memory of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre for more than a century, has passed away at age 111. Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols confirmed her death Monday, honoring her decades of advocacy and resilience.
“Today, our city mourns the loss of Mother Viola Fletcher – a survivor of one of the darkest chapters in our city’s history. Mother Fletcher endured more than anyone should, yet she spent her life lighting a path forward with purpose,” Nichols shared on social media, CBS News reports. He added that “Mother Fletcher carried 111 years of truth, resilience, and grace and was a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we must still go.”
Fletcher never escaped the trauma of what she witnessed as a child. In a 2021 interview with CBS News, she revealed the massacre’s enduring impact. “It will be something I’ll never forget,” she said, noting that she thought about the massacre every day.
Viola Ford Fletcher, oldest survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre, has died at age 111. She testified at a 2021 congressional hearing and recounted her experiences living through the Tulsa Race Massacre. pic.twitter.com/Mab7IhHXy0
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 24, 2025
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The violence unfolded in Tulsa’s Greenwood District, an area celebrated as “Black Wall Street” for its thriving Black-owned businesses and prosperity. After a Black man was accused of assaulting a White woman, White rioters descended upon the community in a daylong attack. Hundreds of Black residents were killed, and thousands lost their homes as more than 35 blocks were destroyed by fire and looting.
The National Guard imposed martial law and detained approximately 6,000 Black residents, holding some for as long as eight days. Archival images reveal city blocks reduced to charred ruins, with bodies visible along the streets. Many Black property owners saw their insurance claims dismissed, despite damage that would now be valued in the tens of millions, and included two Black hospitals along with 1,256 houses.
Fletcher’s death comes after years of fighting for recognition and compensation alongside fellow survivors. Last year, the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected a reparations lawsuit filed by Fletcher, Hughes Van Ellis, and Randle in 2021. Ellis died in 2023 at 102. While the court acknowledged that the “grievance with the social and economic inequities created by the Tulsa Race Massacre is legitimate and worthy of merit,” it concluded that “the law does not permit us to extend the scope of our public nuisance doctrine beyond what the Legislature has authorized to afford Plaintiffs the justice they are seeking.”
Mayor Nichols urged residents to honor Fletcher’s memory through continued action. “She never stopped advocating for justice for the survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, and I hope we all can carry forward her legacy with the courage and conviction she modeled every day of her life,” he said.
Lessie Benningfield Randle, who celebrated her 111th birthday earlier this month, is now the sole living survivor of the massacre.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Remaining Tulsa Race Massacre Survivors to Speak Before Oklahoma Supreme Court – Fighting for Reparations
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