Oldest Survivor of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Dies at 111

Viola “Mother” Ford Fletcher, the oldest known survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre – one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history – has died at age 111 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Born May 10, 1914, in Comanche, Oklahoma, Fletcher was just seven when a white mob destroyed Greenwood, Tulsa’s prosperous Black district known as “Black Wall Street.” She and Lessie Benningfield Randle – also 111 – are the last two known survivors.

Both spent decades demanding reparations not as descendants, but as direct victims of the massacre.

Their legal efforts were repeatedly denied. In June 2024, the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected their lawsuit, ruling that “simply being connected to a historical event does not provide a person with unlimited rights to seek compensation” – a decision that drew national criticism for ignoring the survivors’ firsthand trauma.

Despite the injustice, Fletcher remained a tireless advocate for truth and restitution. “She carried 111 years of truth, resilience, and grace,” said Monroe Nichols, Tulsa’s first Black mayor, in a statement.

“Mother Fletcher never stopped fighting for justice for the survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.”

Fletcher is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her legacy endures as a moral compass for reparative justice in America.