The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched its first-ever investigation into the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, more than a century after one of the most devastating racial attacks in U.S. history left hundreds of Black residents dead and destroyed a thriving community, Axios reported.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke announced the investigation Monday under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, a law that allows the federal government to reopen civil rights cases involving deaths that occurred before 1980.
The Tulsa massacre, which took place over 100 years ago, saw a white mob descend upon Greenwood, a prosperous Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as "Black Wall Street." Over the course of 24 hours, beginning on May 31, 1921, the mob destroyed 35 blocks of homes, businesses, schools, and churches. An estimated 300 Black residents were killed, and thousands were left homeless.
Despite the scale of the atrocity, no one was ever charged or prosecuted for the violence.
Clarke emphasized that while there is little expectation of prosecuting any living perpetrators due to the time that has passed and the absence of federal hate crime laws in 1921, the investigation is still significant.
"Federal prosecution is often legally impossible because no federal hate crime laws existed at the time of the crime that would have given the federal government jurisdiction over these racial atrocities," she said. However, the DOJ will issue a report that examines the massacre in the context of both modern and historical civil rights law.
The massacre was sparked by unfounded rumors that a Black teenager had assaulted a white woman. In response, city officials deputized members of the white mob, who randomly shot Black residents and set fire to their community. Greenwood, once a thriving economic hub, was wiped out, and city authorities later obstructed efforts by Black residents to rebuild by refusing to sell them construction materials. Many survivors were forced to live in makeshift tents.
Although historians, lawyers, and a state commission have conducted investigations into the Tulsa massacre, this is the first time the federal government has taken steps to examine the events and their legal implications.
The massacre has gained increased attention recently, particularly after being depicted in popular HBO series such as "Watchmen" and "Lovecraft Country." Additionally, researchers have uncovered a mass grave in Tulsa's Oaklawn Cemetery, which many believe contains victims of the massacre.
However, the DOJ will issue a report that examines the massacre in the context of both modern and historical civil rights law.
Greenwood, once a thriving economic hub, was wiped out, and city authorities later obstructed efforts by Black residents to rebuild by refusing to sell them construction materials. Many survivors were forced to live in makeshift tents.