thank you so much, everyone. i really appreciate it.

the committee on the judiciary subcommittee on the constitution civil rights and civil liberties will come order. without objection. and the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the subcommittee at any time. i welcome everyone to today's hearing on continuing injustice. the centennial of the tulsa greenwood race massacre cr. before we continue, i want to remind members that we have

established email address and distribution list to circulating exhibits. motions, etc. to members who might want to offer them at today's hearing. if you'd to submit such judiciary docs at mail house dot gov, they will be distributed. finally, i'd like to ask all members and witnesses, both those in person and those appearing remotely to mute your microphone when you are not speaking. this will help prevent feedback and other technical issues. those are the i'd like to ask you to keep your face mask on at all times, unless you're speaking speaking or unless you're over 100 years old. for those in the room, that'll be our and they'll recognize myself for an opening statement. mr. ellis. ms.. fletcher well come and welcome and thank you for coming.

we appreciate it. our hearing today serves two primary purposes. first, it is a commemoration, a milestone anniversary. this sitting area, the tulsa greenwood race massacre of 1921, one of the most painful episodes in our long and tortured history. race relations. sadly, many americans are not even aware that this massacre took place and i hope that this hearing can serve to educate the public about what happened. i myself was not aware, but chairman conyers had a hearing in my term in congress, probably about ten, 12 years ago and edified me and many in congress, john conyers, needs to be recalled today for his commitment to justice and to the memory of race, massacre and for

improvements. tulsa. second purpose of this hearing is to highlight ways that the black community of tulsa continues to suffer from the effects of the massacre. indeed, as the hearing title, the injuries inflicted on the greenwood have continued to compound through the succeeding decades since the massacre, often directly because actions taken by government. over the course of may 31 and june one of 1921. a white mob to the ground. the greenwood community, tulsa, one of the most prominent and thriving black communities in the country at the time, often referred to as the black wall. the white mob of thousands of people murdered black residents looted their property and burned more than 1000 homes. churches and businesses.

at least one credible estimate put the number of those killed at 300 people. recently the attorney general, merrick garland, visited visited the memorial. and you could see the emotion in him as he toured it. we're still, that mob fueled by racial fear and hatred, was aided and abetted by some of the very government who were supposed to be protecting the innocent residents and property owners of. in other words, the massacre did not simply represent a negligent failure by government to maintain order. rather agents of the local and state governments were active participants in the crime. happened too many places and too many times in our history. but never i think as significantly as it did tulsa in the massacres aftermath. local authorities placed thousands of black residents

internment camps out of fear of what the authorities characterized as a so-called, quote, --. indeed, this narrative of the massacre, misrepresentation of what happened based on fear was ratified a grand jury and panel by oklahoma's governor after the massacre. that grand jury issued a report less than a month after the massacre that placed the blame for the massacre entirely on the black community. this grand jury also indicted black persons with massacre related offenses. while white person was ever held accountable for crimes committed during the massacre this was 1921. america 1921 oklahoma 1921. when the ku klux klan was again reasserting itself. and the birth of a nation had just been shown a little bit prior to that in the house. meanwhile, the tulsa massacre resulted in property damage as

to what made it to anywhere between $25,000,100 million in today's dollars, representing a tremendous loss of wealth for tulsa's black community, a loss that was compounded with each succeeding generation as the of the white mob that looted greenwood's businesses and homes have had the to build on the wealth of their ancestors including stolen wealth. many black survivors and their descendants have been able to recoup the wealth that the white mob destroyed or stole during the massacre in the massacres. immediate, the city passed a restrictive local to block rebuilding efforts. while this ordinance was ultimately struck down by the oklahoma supreme. in the decades since, practices like redlining and urban rule policies have prevented black tulsans from reestablishing a thriving community. expressways by federal governments literally cut through greenwood further displacing black families and businesses. a grievance upon a grievance

looking to the courts for relief, greenwood's residents were denied justice in the 1920s because of rank racial prejudice in the 2000s, because of a technical, legal. meanwhile the survivors and descendants of the massacre remain without compensation for the harms inflicted on them and need the state of oklahoma or the city of tulsa provided compensation to massacre survivors and their descendants. the massacre has exaggerated aided government actions that over the decades have disproportionately burdened tulsans, preventing many from rebuilding their community and regaining stolen wealth. predictably, this led to racial disparities and adverse outcomes for the black residents of tulsa. this is clear from the fact that north, which has a higher concentration of black, is poor as. fewer businesses and large scale employers has the fewest jobs, has more than doubled. the unemployment rate, and has the lowest life expectancy when

compared to the rest of tulsa. in short, present day racial and economic disparities in tulsa can be traced to the massacre in america. tulsa is a of what has happened. the african american community in this. in light of the foregoing facts, congress needs to step up. many of our witnesses have for some form of reparation for survivors and descendants of the massacre. one potential remedy that i find a particular interest is the idea of victim fund. this subcommittee has jurisdiction over such compensation funds. for example, last congress, we held a hearing to personally reauthorize the 911 victim compensation fund, which one of our witnesses suggested a model for compensating potential tulsa claimants? i'd be interested in hearing from our witnesses more details as to how such a fund would be structured and funded. as chairman of the subcommittee i pledged to work with you on

legislative shift on this front. when the subcommittee last held a hearing on this topic back in 2007, we heard from the late, distinguished historian john hope franklin, author of from slavery to freedom, a book i as a classroom text at vanderbilt. john hope, franklin was here and he was also a survivor. the tulsa massacre he testified about the of silence surrounding the massacre among the white community of tulsa in the years following. the massacre. a culture that sought erase the massacre from historical memory. he also emphasized the importance of confronting and dealing honestly with historical truth. with john hope, franklin, a historian of eminent. success and acclamation, said then is true today we must deal historical truth. we must heed professor

franklin's admonitions keep the memory of the massacre alive. deal with the truth, and ensure reparation for the century of suffering. the survivors and descendants of the massacre have endured. i look to hearing our witnesses testimony today and to thank them for being with us today and now yield time to the ranking member. mr. johnson louisiana, for his opening statement. thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for being here first. i want to especially thank our witnesses. i know it took effort for you to be here. and we we deeply appreciate it particularly this panel, our first panel of two, because you are survivors of the greenwood massacre. and i am going to briefly repeat history of that again, because as you, say, mr. chairman, not enough americans remember, this this sad chapter in 1921, greenwood, a thriving commercial and residential district in tulsa, oklahoma. it was home to the city's african-american residents, as was said. and greenwood hosted restaurant,

sun churches and grocery stores and entertainment venues, clothing and jewelry stores, the offices of professionals like doctors and lawyers. and it led to refer to it as as the black street. unfortunately, the story of greenwood is not one of success, but other side of that coin is it's a terrible story of violence and destruction. between may 31 and june one of 1921, as many as 100 or 300 people were estimated to have been killed in the tulsa greenwood race massacre. approximately 35 blocks of greenwood, amounting to more than 1200 homes and dozens of businesses were burned. and as many an additional 400 homes were were looted but left standing this was was perpetrated by a mob of the city's white residents. and it took place during an era when racial violence was all too common. it's one of our nation's darkest chapters indeed. as i've said many times before in america, we recognize that each of us is made in god's

image and that every single person has inestimable dignity and value and our values not related any way to the color of our skin. where we're from, what we do for a living, what zip code we live in. all of us are created equally before god and racism. racial violence violate the most fundamental of our great nation and will of our creator. while our country, its faults, we've obviously come a long way since the tulsa greenwood massacre. and we believe best days are still ahead of us. while is important, obviously, that we recognize these terrible events that occurred 100 years ago, we also at the time need to acknowledge, thankfully, this event is not indicative of the broader reality that present in our country today. god for that. we must to move our country forward to remain cognizant of the past because we learn from our history work to create a unified america that honors the value of every single citizen regardless of their race, and provides a path of opportunity

those who work hard and seek it. america is a great country and we are still on our way. as the constitution's preamble says, to form in a more perfect union. in 1862, president lincoln famously said, in giving freedom to the slave we assure freedom to the free, honorable alike and what we give and what we preserve, we shall nobly save or meanly the last, best hope of earth. more than a century later, in his time for choosing speech, ronald reagan echoed that sentiment. he said it this way. quote, you and have a rendezvous with destiny. we have a responsibility to preserve for our this the last best hope of man on earth unquote. that remains our great challenge. still today. we're working through that. and the testimony that you provide helps us because it gives us context and history and the things that we have to consider as we try to preserve this last, best hope of men on the earth. i pray and all of us do that. we remain faithful in that

challenge. i can thank our witnesses for being with us this morning. we really do look forward to your testimony. and i'll tell you, we don't have many centenarians before our committees. so this maybe i would suggest it. maybe we may be making history here today. we're grateful you're here. now you're back, chairman. thank you so much. thank you, mr. johnson. appreciate mr. johnson's. now recognize the chairman of the full committee who is, of course, responsible for the actions of this subcommittee as well. mr. nadler of new york, thank you, mr. chairman. today's is an important opportunity to commemorate rate the tulsa greenwood race massacre of 1921 and to consider what legal and policy measures might enacted to compensate the survivors, their descendants and tulsa's greater black community. nearly 100 years ago in what the latest in john hope franklin described as a firestorm of hatred, violence, it is perhaps unequaled in the peacetime history of the united states. a white mob looted and destroyed

nearly 40 square blocks of tulsa's greenwood district, a segregated, yet vibrant black enclave whose prosperous businesses made it known across the country as the black wall street. reportedly, 5 to 10000 strong mob destroyed. many those businesses, along with the district's hospitals, churches and private homes, leaving almost 9000 greenwood residents homeless, according to a 2001 report by the oklahoma state. by an oklahoma state to study the massacre. one can one credible contemporary source estimated the death toll of 300 people far higher than official record made at the time. the 21 commission also found credible contemporary reports of mass burials. in 2018, the city tulsa finally began the process locating these mass graves. it is only within the past year that state archeologists pinpointed the location of one potential mass grave site. authorities are now taking steps

to exhume the bodies for identification and burial. i've said so before and i'll say it again. the tulsa greenwood massacre can be described as an act of cleansing, which was subsequently wiped from the history books for many decades. despite having made national news the time, we are honored to have us today some of the last remaining survivors, the massacre. and i welcome them. i appreciate the fact that this can play a role ensuring that this history is never lost again by hearing directly from who experienced the tragic injustice unfolded in tulsa during the overnight hours of may 31st and june 1st, 1921. in addition to commemorating the massacres, victims, this hearing is also another opportunity. consider to consider the massacres, the long lasting repercussion for the survivors, their descendants, and tulsa's greater black community. and what role congress can in remedying this historic injustice. the 2001 commission report found

significant evidence demonstrating not only that local and state authorities failed their responsibility to maintain civic order, but also that government agents actually the mob in carrying out the massacre. thousands black residents were interned for days and weeks after the massacre under the justification that it was there. so for their so-called protection. a majority of the 2001 commission members declared at that time that that quote reparation to the historic greenwood community in real and tangible form would be good public policy and do much to repair the emotional physical scars of this terrible in our shared past. it is now 20 years later and, neither the state nor the city of tulsa has directly compensated survivors or their descendants. survivors in their descendants have tried seek legal redress from the city of tulsa and the state of for massacre related

harms. unfortunately, claims have never been decided on the merits. in 2004, a divided ten circuit upheld the lower court's decision, dismissing greenwood survivors claims holding the plaintiffs claims were barred by the statute of limitations and that no equitable tolling to statute of limitations period apply. in 2007. when i was of this subcommittee, we held a full hearing. we held a hearing on legislation authored by the late former chairman of the full committee john conyers that would have created new federal course of action for the tulsa massacre claimants that would permit their case to be decided by on the merits. similar legislation that helps address relevant statutes of limitation issues that have bedeviled claims in the past. certainly remains one potential avenue for survivors and their descendants to obtain compensation. the subcommittee should also examine other proposals for reparations with particular consideration given to the massacres contribution, to the

racial and economic disparities that exist in tulsa today. i want to commend chair cohen following today's hearing. i also, thank congressman hank johnson for his on the commemoration efforts spearheaded by the congressional black and congresswoman sheila lee for her efforts to secure a house vote on the resolution recognizing the centenary of the massacre. i look forward to hearing from all of today's witnesses. and with that, yield back. thank thank thank you. nadler and i, too, appreciate the work of congresspeople johnson and sheila jackson lee for their work on this effort as well. i now the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from ohio, mr. jordan, for his opening statement. thank you, mr. chairman. today's hearing as the previous speakers indicated, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the massacre that occurred. tulsa, oklahoma's greenwood district in, 1921. we are honored to have survivors

with us here today. in particular, mr. van ellis and ms.. fletcher thank you all for sharing your experiences with us. what happened in tulsa in 1921 was, as wrong as wrong can be. and today's hearing is important. it allows us to acknowledge the atrocity that took place in tulsa 1921 and learn from that tragedy. this hearing also allows to reflect on our progress as a nation. since the tulsa massacre. america, while not perfect an exceptional country. america is the best country in the history of the world. we are always growing. always learning. and always striving toward a more perfect union. and this hearing where we can take stock of what happened in our past and learn from it shows just how exceptional america really is in years, we have seen the lowest unemployment rate for african-americans in history. historic criminal justice reform and expanded educational opportunities. as we reflect on the past, we must discuss how we can empower the community affected by this

tragic event with improved employment and, educational opportunities. i look forward to all the testimony today, particularly from the survivors of this tragedy from a hundred years ago. thank you for being here today, mr. chairman. i yield back. thank you, mr. jordan. we welcome our witnesses and thank for participating in today's hearing hearing. i will now remove mask and i will introduce each of the witnesses. and after each introduction will recognize the witnesses, the witnesses for his or her oral testimony. each of your written statements will be entered into the record. we ask you to testify within 5 minutes, but we will understand to help you stay with that time. there are lines on your table switches to green to yellow to indicate you have a minute remaining and what turns to read. it means your time has as 5 minutes have expired, but we will be liberal and the first

panel or witnesses remotely. there's a timer in the zoom view that should be visible. the bottom of your screen. i would like to remind all of our witnesses appearing both panels that you have a legal obligation, provide truthful testimony and that if you should not, you you are subject to prosecution under the united states code. today we have two witness panels on first panel will be a very special group of witnesses. the three known remaining survivors said the tulsa greenwood race massacre. we're deeply honored that they have agreed to testify before us and eagerly anticipate their firsthand accounts of that horrific day. days. we also know for those witnesses traveled to washington about your difficult days with your flight and delayed luggage. so we're even more grateful to have you here with us today

today. there's been an agreement. the subcommittee will forego questions of, the first panel, and we will simply, unlike congresspeople, just listen and learn. our first witness is missing viola fletcher also known, if i can mother fletcher. thank you. i don't have a mother so thank you. but the fletcher is the oldest living survivor. the tulsa race massacre. she was seven years old when she lived through the massacre. mother, you are now recognized to testify to. is a microphone. yes. my name is that got got gave. my name is vowel award fletcher.

and the daughter, lucinda ellis and john wesley ford of tulsa, oklahoma. the sister hughes van ellis, who also here today, i'm a survivor of the race massacre. two weeks ago, i celebrated. 107 birthday. today i'm visiting washington, d.c. for the first time in my life, i'm here seeking justice and i'm asking my country acknowledge what happened and. tulsa in 1921 on may 31st and 21, i went to bed in my family's home in greenwood, neighbors of tulsa, the neighborhood i fell asleep in that night was rich,

not just in terms of will. but in humility heritage. and my family had, a beautiful home. we had great neighbors and i had friends to play with. i felt safe. i had everything a child could need. i had a bright future ahead. me. greenwood could excuse the. still. greenwood had given me the chance to make truly make it in this country within a few hours, all of that was gone. the night of the massacre. i awakened by my family, my parents and five siblings who were there. i was so we had to leave. and that was it. will never forget the violence of the white mob when left our home. i still see black men seeing being shot. black bodies in the street.

i still smell smoke. see far. i still see black being burned. i still hear airplanes flying overhead. i hear the scream have lived through the massacre every day. a country may forget this history. i cannot will and other survivors do not. and our descendants not. when my family was forced to leave tulsa, i lost my chance of an education never finished school past. the fourth grade. i have never made much money in my country. the state and city took a lot from me. despite this. i spent time supporting the war effort in shipyards of california. but most of my life was a domestic worker serving white

families and never made much money. but to this day, i can barely afford my everyday needs. all the while, the city of this tulsa have unjustly used the names and of victims like me to enrich myself is why allies through the thirties used million to through the 37 million marines by the tulsa centennial commissioner. while i was continue live in property. i am a 107 year old and have been seen just as i pray that one day i will. i have been blessed with a long life and seen the best and the worst of this. i think about the terror horror inflicted upon people in this

country every day. this kids continue maybe has the power to lead us down better path. i'm asking my country acknowledge what has happened to me. the traumas and the pain the loss. and i ask the bible and descendants to be given the chance to see the, seek justice. open the door. all of you know how easy it is. deny that that a violent mob year old lives and took your property for 70 years. the city of tulsa and this chamber of commerce told us that the massacre didn't happen like we didn't see it with our own eyes. you have. had me here right now you see

mobile rental. you see my brother hughes van ellis. we live this history and we can't ignore it. it is our lives. us. oh my goodness. we lost everything. they, our homes, our church is our newspapers, our theaters. our lives. greenwood represented all the best of what was possible for black in america and for all. for all the people. no one cared about us for almost hundred years. we in our history have forgotten, washed still way this congress must recognize us and a history for black america, for the white americans and for all americans. with that something. yes. exclusive it. thank you. do you?

i thought it was another page. do you want to say anything else? anything else you want to say? no, no, it's not. thank you very much. we appreciate very much your testimony. know by mother fletcher. if we don't learn from history, we're doomed to repeat it. so thank you for putting us on the right to learn and to understand better and to do better. thank. are you the older of the two siblings? the the older. are you older than. than than brother here? yes. you are. yes. he's used to having a tough act to follow the next witness is mr. known as uncle red.

yep. he's a world war two veteran having served united states army in the china burma india theater of operations as a member of an all black unit. he's also a survivor of the tulsa massacre. uncle red, you're on, airman. go right in. yeah. and so my name is hughes van. this am. i am 100 year old, and i am a survivor of the two race massacre. the because of the massacre, my family were driven out of our home. we were left with nothing. we were made refugees in our own current country country. my childhood was hard and we

didn't have much. we were what little we we were little. we had would be stolen from us. given that it was stolen and told. you may have been taught that with something is stolen from you. you will go to the courts to be made home. you can go to the courts to get hurt. yes, this wasn't the case for us. the courts and wouldn't hear. us. the federal courts said were too late. we were made to feel that our

struggle were unworthy of yes, that we were less valued than white, that we weren't fully americans we were human. that the united states, not all men were equal. we were human that when black war is called out. what? yes. no one care. but we had things they would get that we still believe in. the promise medal in cases of freedom. i did my duty in world war two. i've served combat in war with the 203 through tripoli gone.

but then we were all black. but that i thought for freedom abroad even though it was ripped away from the at home. even after my my home and, my community were destroyed destroyed. it become it was if because i believe in the end america would it is right when i return home from the war i didn't find any of this freedom. i was fighting for overseas. unlike white servicemen. i wasn't entitled to g.i. bill. we didn't because of the color my skin. i came home to segregation a and

unequal you know but still i believed in america. this is why we are still speaking today. even at this age, 100 bit of reason that. every footnote in in history books us we live with it every day. and the thought of what greenwood was worth and what it could have been, we aren't just black and white pixels on a screen we are like a blur. i was there when it happened i'm still here that's right. that's right our masters was

there with little we are not if and how on earth would you put a chance for me to let of class who truly truly be prominent take you to take you to that this is a man where there is liberal and give small. we are asking forgiveness for a lifetime a ongoing harm harm that was caused. by the massacre. we can give earth the chance, be armed and give us a chance to be

whole. after the years and after our own astronaut. go, i feel only that back. i feel bleeding the ideas are out all seem clear and. maybe you german defense are will do right thing and justice will be through please do not let me lead this faith without yes let all of math go survival. thank you so much. thank you, sir.

do you want to say you were recently. yeah, i want say i appreciate being here and i hope we all wake. we are one. we one. thank you, mr. van ellis, a.k.a uncle red. the last witness on our panel is coming us through zoom, our reasonable facsimile of such ms.. lessie benning randall mother randall was six years old when she lived the tulsa race massacre. mother randall will be joining

virtually. mother randall are recognized now. we know it. if you. good morning, chairman coburn. good morning, ranking member johnson and members of this committee. i am blessed and to be to be here speaking with you today. it means a lot to me to finally able to look you all and i ask you to do the right thing. i waited so long, but yesterday. my name is ashley benning. the random people have called me by the random. today i am 106 years old.

a hundred years ago and, 1921, i was think you have our blessed to live with my grandmother and a beautiful community and tulsa, oklahoma, cochran. i was lucky i had a home and i had always i didn't have any fear. i was a young child and i felt very shame. i thank you. my my community was beautiful. it was filled with happy and successful black people there changed. it was like a war. white men, guns came and my community, we couldn't understand why.

what did we do to them? we understand. we were just living living where they came and they destroyed everything and they see they burned houses and businesses, they just took what they wanted and out of have it been they burned the building burying them. they murdered people. we were told eight years down that dead bodies into the river. i, i, i remember running outside around howard. i just did that and it wasn't

empty so i still see it today in my mind, a hundred years later. i was so scared. i didn't think we we can make it out alive. i people were running everywhere and we we showed years to come. and when they came in, they took to the back room where would be safe into that leg. so long ago they came. thank you. that she i survived. 91 tulsa race massacre and i have survived a hundred years obtained. the memory bounces by the grace

that i am still here i have survived. i have survived. tell this story i believe that i am here to share it. you hopefully now you all will listen to us while we still here. more the the white people who did this to to us were filled with so much hate in is disgusting that that they hate us so so so that they hate our for no reason. except that we are black people. we know. most of the people who

immediately act and are are dead now the three of their were here today are the only only one left that we know where god these men are probably dead the city and count of the city of oklahoma. and. the chance of seeing chambers chamber are sealed responsible for making it right because it would it was made of them actually and it's it's

continued. the chamber helped ensure that could not rebuild the last including what we do in benjamin sam's the o the o or something the o they owed me something i have now much of my life for by opportunity. my opportunities were taken to a million. and my people for me and my community. no, just right back. that is to me. me show today. they didn't rebuild it. i need it's empty it's it's.

you know they have raised more. than 30 mega million and so they placed a fuze to share any with me. with me are they other two survivors. they have used my name but whether they're on regime who's without my permission now that's fine and. hand in my support of their of their. upcoming printing room. yes and then and every inch

focused on making talks that would and not care to. you can have some distance america you have we people and petition of power and energy like to have told to reach others have to get to lazy. it seems like gesture and is we show so are not passion both for black people and are making and we are made crazy.

just for asking for things to be made right. there are always so examples excuses. well, why? yes yes, yes it so slow or never happened at all. i am here. i had it and six usual looking at it at new all and i we were waiting. a hundred years know what we waited to at all. and i am tired we are tired. and lashley, i am asking you today to give us some peace. some peace. please give me my family and my

community and thank you. all. thank mother randall. thank you, mother fletcher and uncle red, your efforts to be here. our appreciate it. your testimony is greatly appreciated as i was affected in 2007 by the testimony of john hope franklin. i know my colleague is on the panel and those who are watching will be affected by your testimony thank you so much the subcommittee knows and thanks for your strength and perseverance in telling these stories. for the record and for future

generations. we will now take a brief recess for you. be able to leave the committee room with our thanks and our appreciation and then we'll go to our second panel. thank you so much much.