TULSA, Okla. — After months of lobbying and collaboration, the US Department of Justice agreed to review and evaluate the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons led the efforts to make this happen. He represents the living victims and other descendants of the massacre. He said this is a big step in achieving their goals, like uncovering more answers.
“We only know about 10% of what actually happened. Who actually participated,” Solomon-Simmons said “Those are things, we don’t have the capacity as private attorneys to get some of that information that we hope the federal government can help fill in some of those gaps.”
Egunwale Amusan is a descendant of one of the victims. 2 News listened to his reaction to the DOJ’s decision.
“People who may not understand this passion, who haven’t been part of this fight from the very beginning, know this: we will never stop fighting,” Amusan said.
Descendants like Amusan want reparations. They also want the DOJ to recognize the race massacre as the largest crime scene in the country’s history.
Based on conversations he’s had with the DOJ, Solomon-Simmons expects the work to be done by the end of this year, but he said its impact will last forever.
“[This report] will really, forever … As long as there’s the United States of America, this report will talk about what happened here in Tulsa,” he said, “And hopefully, that will help us get closer to the justice and reparations that are still due.”
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum also welcomed the news, "I want to thank the Department of Justice for acknowledging our work to date, and for their willingness to assist in this important work. When we started this investigation nearly six years ago, we brought in archaeology, anthropology and forensic experts to help bring some form of justice and healing to the victims and families of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
We have made great strides in our investigation and recently announced eight profiles of interest, including the first positive identification of a Tulsa Race Massacre victim buried in an unmarked grave, C.L. Daniel. We appreciate the DOJ’s commitment of its substantial resources to help in this investigation, including our community engagement work through the Emmett Till Cold Case Grant that we secured, and look forward to our continued partnership.”
More than a century after the massacre, descendants say they deserve more. This decision by the DOJ represents an accomplishment of one of their biggest goals. That accomplishment is not lost on Amusan.
“This moment is one you should never forget,” Amusan said.
Learn more about the Tulsa Race Massacre with 2 News' coverage of the 2021 centennial.
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