Justice for Greenwood

Stand with survivors and descendants

This article was authored by Justice for Greenwood as part of Lush's Justice for Greenwood campaign. Published on May 31, 2024.

The first bombs to ever hit United States soil weren't deployed in any formal combat or for any imminent threat. Instead, one of the earliest recorded instances of an aerial attack occurred when individuals, using privately-owned planes and under direct orders, dropped incendiary devices and firebombs on the thriving, progressive Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This event is known as the Tulsa Race Massacre and, over 100 years later, justice is yet to be served. 

Considered the worst domestic terror attack and incident of racial violence recorded in American history, this chapter, like many other Black Massacres, was intentionally left out of history books.

What happened on May 31st, 1921, marked the removal of Black life as it existed in Greenwood, a haven for Black people who experienced harm across many Southern states—even after American chattel slavery was abolished.

A hidden history

In the early morning hours, as the people of Greenwood slept safely in their homes, thousands of white supremacists, including members of various authorities, quietly surrounded the neighborhood. 

The 40 square block area was on the brink of a devastating invasion.

Within 24 hours, the community lay in ruins—families shattered, buildings and homes destroyed, and countless residents killed, displaced, or injured. Survivors were too frightened to speak out for decades. It would be 75 years until the truth about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre emerged, forced out of the shadows only to fade with the survivors and residents who still remember. 

Justice for Greenwood

Today, historic progress is being made in Oklahoma State courts, thanks to the courageous efforts of Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Fletcher Ford, both 109 and the last two remaining survivors of the massacre.

Despite the ongoing disparities in education, health and economics, stemming directly from Tulsa's neglect of Greenwood, Justice for Greenwood, a Greenwood-based organization, continues to fight for accountability and justice.

On April 2nd, 2024, they gathered thousands of people from around the nation to watch a compelling case before nine Oklahoma Supreme Court Justices regarding the unfair dismissal of the ongoing public nuisance case. If allowed to move forward, they will finally have the opportunity to have their case heard.

The defendants destroyed 1,500 properties with many of them still uninhabitable. Over a third of the homes and businesses destroyed during the massacre were never rebuilt.

As we mark 103 years since the devastating events, and with survivors ageing, the fight for justice becomes more urgent. Viola Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle, who will both turn 110 this year, are the last living survivors. Fletcher’s brother, "Uncle Red" Van Ellis, who was the youngest of the remaining massacre survivors at 102, died in October. 

Time is of the essence. 

Support Justice for Greenwood

Here are just a few ways you can help support survivors and descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre. 

Stay up to date on the case, help the rebuilding of Greenwood, call on elected officials, make a donation, and follow Justice for Greenwood on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.

***

If you would like to learn more about Lush’s Justice for Greenwood campaign, click here.

This article has been edited for clarity, brevity, and grammatical accuracy.