Viola Fletcher's Death And The Tulsa Race Massacre Legacy
What Viola Fletcher’s Death Means For The Memory Of The Tulsa Race Massacre
Viola “Mother” Ford Fletcher, one of the last known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, died in Tulsa at 111. Her passing marks another profound loss in the ongoing fight for civil rights. For decades, Fletcher pushed tirelessly for restitution and acknowledgment of the horrific attack that destroyed a flourishing Black community on May 31, 1921, when a white mob carried out a violent assault on Tulsa’s Greenwood District.
Her grandson, Ike Howard, told CNN that she passed away on Monday, Nov. 24, surrounded by loved ones.
“She had a beautiful smile on her face,” Howard said. “She loved life, she loved people.”
Who was Viola Fletcher?
Born in Oklahoma on May 10, 1914, Fletcher spent her early childhood in Greenwood. As People reported, she remembered the neighborhood before the massacre as an idyllic oasis for Black families living under segregation.
Greenwood, often called “Black Wall Street,” spanned nearly 35 blocks of downtown Tulsa and bustled with hundreds of successful Black-owned businesses. History notes that the community supported an array of enterprises, including barber shops, restaurants, movie theaters, clothing stores, and medical offices, according to MadameNoire.
Fletcher was only 7 years old when the attack began. White assailants looted and burned hundreds of Black homes and businesses, leaving behind pillars of smoke and devastation. As many as 300 people were killed.
“I could never forget the charred remains of our once-thriving community, the smoke billowing in the air, and the terror-stricken faces of my neighbors,” she wrote in her 2023 memoir, Don’t Let Them Bury My Story, according to PEOPLE.
Her brother, Hughes Van Ellis — who passed away in 2023 — also described the terror in a 2021 interview with 2 News Oklahoma.
“We lost so much. I believe if all this hadn’t happened when I was a child, they would’ve been better in life,” he said, recalling how he and his sister spent years advocating for justice. “My sister Viola told me. She said it was thought guns were going off,” he continued. “Dad looked outside to see people getting shot, houses getting burned. So, there’s only six little kids. I was a baby. So, my father just managed to barely get out, just with the clothes on our backs. We didn’t have time to get nothing else together.”
Viola Fletcher spent her life fighting for justice after the Tulsa Race Massacre.
After fleeing Tulsa as a child, Fletcher returned at age 16 and took a job in a department store. She later married Robert Fletcher, and the pair moved to California. According to her memoir, she worked as a welder in Los Angeles during World War II before eventually returning to Tulsa, People reported.
Fletcher refused to let her life be defined by victimhood; instead, she became a steadfast advocate. Speaking publicly about what she endured, she sought to honor the memories of those who died and to ensure the truth would not be lost.
Her grandson said that sharing her story helped her heal.
“This whole process has been helpful,” he told AP.
Fletcher, Ellis, and Lessie Benningfield Randle—the last remaining survivor of the vicious assault—who celebrated her 111th birthday earlier this month, filed a 2021 lawsuit seeking reparations from the city of Tulsa, but the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the case in June 2024, ruling that their grievances did not fall under the state’s public nuisance statute, according to AP.
“For as long as we remain in this lifetime, we will continue to shine a light on one of the darkest days in American history,” Fletcher and Randle said in a statement at the time.
A Justice Department investigation conducted under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act — and made public in January 2024 — detailed the full extent and lasting consequences of the massacre. The report determined that while federal charges might have been viable in the immediate aftermath a century ago, no legal pathway remains today to pursue a criminal case.
City officials have explored forms of support for descendants of the massacre’s victims that stop short of direct financial compensation, AP noted. Fletcher and Randle received contributions from private organizations, but neither the city nor the state has provided them with any payments.
“The fact that she died without any meaningful redress — not for herself, her family, or her community — isn’t just a legal failure. It’s a moral one,” said Damario Solomon-Simmons, attorney for the survivors and founder of the Justice for Greenwood Foundation, during an interview with AP. “She would not want her passing to be the end of the fight,” he added. “She would want it to light a fire under all of us.”
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols — the city’s first Black mayor — was among those who publicly honored Fletcher. Earlier this year, he introduced a new plan aimed at repairing damage done to the community and supporting descendants of massacre victims.
As previously reported, Nichols has avoided labeling the proposal as “reparations” due to the term’s political sensitivity. Instead, he describes it as a path toward the city’s “road to repair,” centered on a private charitable trust designed to secure $105 million in assets. This includes $60 million earmarked to improve infrastructure and revitalize Tulsa’s north side. While the plan does not require city council approval, any transfer of city-owned assets into the trust would.
Viola Fletcher’s death should move us to action.
As we reflect on the passing of Viola Fletcher, it becomes even more urgent that we each play a role in keeping the fight for justice alive. Fletcher’s life and legacy serve as a reminder that the harm inflicted in 1921 did not end with the flames that destroyed Greenwood; it has echoed through generations who continue to wait for meaningful recognition and repair.
Honoring her memory requires more than passive remembrance; it demands action. Supporting Mayor Nichols’ proposal is one tangible way to push forward efforts aimed at addressing the lingering wounds of the massacre and uplifting the descendants who still carry its weight. But the responsibility does not rest solely on city leadership; it also belongs to the broader community. Each of us can contribute by engaging in outreach within our own neighborhoods, educating others about the history and its ongoing impact, and advocating for measures that advance justice and equity, to ensure that Fletcher, Randle, and Ellis’ story is never forgotten or diminished.
SEE MORE:
Tulsa Race Massacre Survivors Demand Justice
Expert: New Justice Should Help Nation Overcome Its Racist, Sexist & Elitist Founding
