TULSA, Okla. — 'Project Greenwood' is the latest push by advocates to bring justice and healing to the descendants and the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Behind the program, Damario Solomon-Simons. He's spent the last 25 years fighting for the survivors. This effort is no different.
“It is a comprehensive plan to not only restore Greenwood but to move this city forward and create the one Tulsa that we’ve been talking about for decades," he said.
His goals through Project Greenwood are expansive.
Goals of 'Project Greenwood'
- Immediately compensate survivors
- Create a victim compensation fund
- Start a descendant business support program
- Implement a descendant scholarship program
- A surviving entity grant program
- Descendant Employment Preference program
- Descendant contracting preference program
- Immunity from all City of Tulsa taxes, fees, assessments, and/or utility expenses for a set period of time
- Historic Greenwood land record audit
- Return any land owned by the city that belonged to massacre victims
- Build a Level 1 Trauma Center Hospital in honor of victim Dr. A. C. Jackson
Of all of those, though, Solomon-Simmons said their priority is taking care of the last living survivors while they're still here.
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“It would be one of the worst tragedies in the history of this country, let alone this city, for these two 110-year-old women to pass away without justice that they so rightly deserve," he said.
While Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Fletcher were not in attendance, Randle's granddaughter LaDonna Penny was there in their place.
"When I speak about my grandmother, I get emotional because I know what she's been through," said Penny. "I'm praying that God gives them more years, but we don't know. But if this is the opportunity to give them their flowers while they're still here, then the city needs to do it."
Solomon-Simmons mentioned that Mayor Monroe Nichols was on board with parts of the program.
2 News reached out to the mayor's office for a statement on 'Project Greenwood.'
"Project Greenwood reflects the unshakable resolve of the last living massacre survivors and descendants to address the generational impact of Greenwood's destruction and move Tulsa forward. I look forward to implementing significant elements of the plan in partnership with Justice for Greenwood and other stakeholders. In the coming weeks, I will share the framework my Administration will use to heal the open wounds left by the Massacre and create a stronger, more unified Tulsa for all."
All of this comes after continued roadblocks in their fight to bring reparations to Fletcher and Randle.
Most recently, the Department of Justice said no avenue of prosecution exists for crimes that occurred during the massacre after investigating all of the evidence available.
The team behind Project Greenwood said their efforts are legal, because it's based on harm not race. They also pointed to other victim compensation funds created after tragedies, like the Oklahoma City Bombing and 9/11.
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