Justice Deferred?: New Evidence Revealed Concerning the 1921 Tulsa Race MassacreHow a DNA test and archival evidence led to a groundbreaking discovery.
There are a lot of newsworthy events that have taken place since the last newsletter. I know many of you are tired of “living through history” or unprecedented times. As a historian, I am here to tell you that these times are very much so precedented. Where we all are today is a result of actions and events that have taken place in the past. We’re taking a break from our series to discuss some pressing matters that have come up recently. If you’re new here, last week I wrote about ancestry DNA tests and what they can and cannot do for you. New Discovery Linked to the 1921 Tulsa Race MassacreToday, we’re going to be talking about a groundbreaking discovery that was made possible thanks to historical evidence and a DNA test. On Friday, July 12 the mayor of Tulsa announced that researchers have been able to identify the first victim from the mass grave attributed to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The investigations team was able to identify CL Daniel, a World War I veteran who was in his 20s when he was murdered, through DNA from descendants of Daniel’s brothers as well as in-depth historical research. So what happened during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre? Why has it been so hard to ID the victims of this event? How did the research team make this discovery? You may be asking these questions, so let’s break this news down step by step.
History of the Tulsa Race MassacreThe 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was singularly one of the most violent acts to take place against black people in America in the 20th century (Source). Even at the time, Walter White, an investigative reporter who covered many incidents of racial violence remarked that the level of violence that took place in Tulsa “stands without parallel in America.”¹ In just two days, from May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob stormed the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and murdered an upwards estimate of about 300 black people. However, this wasn’t just any neighborhood. Greenwood, located in Northern Tulsa, was a predominately black neighborhood since national segregation laws and local laws restricted black people from living, buying property, shopping, or having any economic presence in many parts of the state and the country. As a result, Greenwood flourished as one of the very few areas where black people were free to make their livelihoods, hence how the Greenwood district got the name “Black Wall Street.” In fact, adjusted for inflation as of 2020, Greenwood, had at least two black millionaires. There was a high concentration of black professionals, from lawyers, doctors, jewelers, real estate agents, etc. Although the national average for school enrollment was about 60%, 80% of children in Greenwood were attending school. (Source). Greenwood was showing remarkable achievements at a time when black advancement was facing opposition in nearly every sphere of American society. It’s also important to note here that Greenwood, and Tulsa at large, were not only remarkable because of the people and all the business that flourished there, but because of the land itself. In the early 1900s, Oklahoma became the leading producer of oil. At this point in history, oil became an increasingly hot commodity as more technology and transport were being powered by oil. In 1897, oil was discovered 50 miles North of Tulsa. By 1905, oil was discovered just 12 miles from Tulsa. So Tulsa wasn’t just of interest to its local black community, there was a real national and even international value to the oil that lay beneath Tulsa. Why has it been so hard to ID victims of the 1921 race massacre?So it’s important to keep in mind here the different interests people had in Tulsa. Let’s get into more of the details of what actually took place and why it’s been hard to ID the victims. In 2001, a report was released by the Official Race Riot Commission that was tasked with investigating what took place in 1921. This is just one excerpt of what the report had to say about the events that took place:
The widespread destruction of property and life as well as the mass detention of the survivors of the massacre was so significant that very little evidence was left in its wake. Of those who were unfortunately murdered, they were placed in mass graves and thus had no tombstones. The survivors were forcibly removed from Greenwood and many of them were left in the dark about what happened to their family and friends. How was the discovery made?So given the deliberate destruction of evidence as well as the amount of time that has passed, official efforts have been made to unearth any evidence that does remain. This is how the mayor of Tulsa described the discovery in the July 12 statement:
The investigation team then used data submitted to online genealogical search providers to compare the DNA they found with the burial site to their current database. Since the investigation was announced, members of the public who may have a connection have been asked to submit DNA samples to aid in the matching of the forensic data from the burial sites. As the investigation is ongoing, the call still stands as such:
ConclusionSo how do we interpret this news? Amazingly, forensic scientists, genealogists, and historians were able to work together to identify more victims of the 1921 race massacre since investigations were launched in the 1990s. However, this was announced after the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit brought by the last survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre just last month.³ So what’s next?This week, on July 22, the investigation team will begin their next excavation of the burial sites linked to the 1921 race massacre. There’s a lot to digest in this week’s newsletter, but this is only the tip of the iceberg for this case. Next week, I can do an in-depth historical analysis of the latest failed attempt at reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Let me know if you’d be interested? For my visual learners, here is my explanation video! Let me know what questions you have. Until next week,
p.s. I read every single one of your emails, even if I don’t have time to respond! Thank you for the productive dialogue and for everyone who asked about my dad last week haha 1 New York Call, June 10, 1921, quoted in John Hope Franklin and Scott Ellsworth, “History Knows No Fences: An Overview,” in Tulsa Race Riot: A Report by the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, edited by Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 (Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, 2001), p. 24. 2 You can read the full report here: https://www.okhistory.org/research/forms/freport.pdf 3 Read more here: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/oklahomas-supreme-court-dismisses-lawsuit-from-last-2-survivors-of-tulsa-race-massacre-seeking-reparations SHAE THE HISTORIAN is a newsletter for history lovers seeking to search the past, learn something new, and contribute to the archive of life. If you enjoyed this story, feel free to share it with someone. Stay curious, friends!
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subota, 20. srpnja 2024.
Justice Deferred?: New Evidence Revealed Concerning the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
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