Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest known survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died at the age of 111. Her grandson, Ike Howard, announced her passing on Monday.
“She had a beautiful smile on her face,” Howard told CNN. “She loved life, she loved people.”
Fletcher spent her later years speaking publicly about the massacre and fighting for justice alongside other survivors.
Fletcher’s Fight for Accountability
In recent years, Fletcher was part of a lawsuit against the city of Tulsa, arguing that officials and institutions were complicit in the destruction of the Greenwood District and that the long-term impact still affects Black residents today.
The lawsuit was dismissed in 2023, marking a major setback for survivors seeking reparations.
What Was the Tulsa Race Massacre?
The Tulsa Race Massacre began on May 30, 1921, after 19-year-old Black shoe shiner Dick Rowland ran from an elevator where a teenage white operator screamed. Rumors of assault spread quickly, leading to Rowland’s arrest and escalating racial tensions in Tulsa.
A white mob gathered outside the jail, and armed Black residents arrived to protect Rowland from possible lynching. A gunshot rang out and, as Sheriff William McCullough later recalled, “All hell broke loose.”
For the next 16 hours, white rioters attacked Tulsa’s thriving Greenwood District—known as “Black Wall Street.” The mob burned roughly 35 blocks, killed and assaulted residents, looted homes and businesses, and destroyed community institutions.
Insurance companies refused to cover the damages, which would now total tens of millions of dollars, according to the Greenwood Cultural Center. More than 1,256 homes and two Black hospitals were destroyed.
Fletcher’s Childhood Trauma Stayed With Her for Life
Fletcher was a young girl during the massacre. She later said she “never got over” the horror she saw.
Speaking to CNN, Fletcher recalled witnessing “people getting killed, houses, property, schools, churches, and stores getting destroyed with fire.”
The trauma followed her throughout her life: “I have lived in Tulsa since but I don’t sleep all night living there.”
Legal Efforts for Reparations Face Setbacks
In June 2024, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the latest lawsuit seeking compensation for survivors and descendants, halting one of the last remaining legal paths for reparations.
Family Legacy of Survival
Fletcher’s brother, Hughes Van Ellis, also a survivor, died in October 2023 at the age of 102.
