Tulsa Race Massacre reparations: State studies proposals

Tulsa Race Massacre reparations: State studies proposals

“I would be open to it,” Republican Chair of the committee Rep. Kevin West said when asked if he would begin conversations in the legislature on the reparations proposals.

GREENWOOD Dist.–For the first time in decades, lawmakers at the Oklahoma State Capitol held a hearing to study progress on recommendations for reparations to survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The historic hearing on Thursday, October 5, included two survivors, descendants, reparations experts and lawmakers from both major political parties.

For three hours, the state was reminded of what it owes for its role in the government-sanctioned racial terror attack against the prosperous, Black community of Greenwood.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Less than 200 scholarships have been awarded to descendants of the Massacre since a state law passed after 2001. 300 were supposed to be awarded each year.
• Experts testify Oklahoma National Guard played a role in the destruction of Greenwood/Black Wall Street.
• The Oklahoma Supreme Court is preparing to hear an appeal from survivors of the Massacre. Oklahoma AG argues the state is not responsible.
• Descendants say Tulsa Mayor destroyed trust and public oversight during mass graves investigation.
• Dr. Tiffany Crutcher says reparations should be part of the “Oklahoma Standard.“

In 2001, the state convened a group to study the Massacre and produce proposals for repair. The group, then called the Tulsa Race Riot Commission, came up with a list of five proposals:

• Reparations to survivors, including direct cash payments.
• Reparations to descendants.
• Scholarships for descendants.
• An economic enterprise zone to encourage business development in Greenwood.
• A memorial for the discovery of remains belonging to victims of the massacre.

Interim study on Reparations for Tulsa Race Massacre
Rep. Regina Goodwin (D-Tulsa), a descendant of survivors, led the interim study, titled: Update Status and Progress on the 2001 Tulsa Race Riot (Massacre) Commission Report.

Rep. Kevin West (R-Moore), Republican chair of the General Government committee, listened closely during testimony.

Notably, very little action has been taken to address any of the reparations proposals in the last 22 years.

Calling the proposals “long over due,” Rep. Goodwin began the interim study by asking, “At what point do we begin?”

Few scholarships awarded

Attorney Jim Lloyd is one of the original members of the 2001 commission. He called reparations for the Tulsa Race Massacre a “biblically-endorsed path towards righteousness.”

“It’s not just about financial compensation, it’s an acknowledgement of our community’s collective pain and a tangible commitment to heal that pain,” Lloyd said.

He cited scriptures such as Exodus 22:1 and Proverbs 6: 30-31, which advise that perpetrators of harm are “not to merely replace what was taken but to give back manifold.”

Dr. Vivian Clark Adams is another original commission member who teaches at Tulsa Community College. She says her students often ask her why generations today should pay for reparations. Dr. Adams said she responds by telling them someone in their family ancestry has already paid–through their taxes–for restitution to Indigenous groups, Japanese Americans, Hawaiians and others.

She said she was disappointed to learn that few scholarships have been awarded since the 2001 report was published.

Dr. Robert Placido is the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. During the interim study, he said laws passed by the state legislature have made it nearly impossible to award scholarships to descendants of the Tulsa Race massacre.

The Tulsa Reconciliation and Education Scholarship program requires descendants to show proof of lineage and live within a small perimeter around the original Greenwood neighborhoods. The stringent requirement has led to only one student receiving a full scholarship since 2001.