3 more sets of remains tied to the 1921 Tulsa race riots found with gunshot wounds

In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Okla.
Alvin C. Krupnick Co. via Library of Congress

Eleven additional sets of human remains have been found in connection with the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma, race riots, three of which have gunshot wounds, the city said Friday.

Two of the victims have gunshot wounds from two different weapons, and one had signs of possible burns.

The remains were found over the span of 25 days and will be sent to a forensics lab for identification. It is the fourth cycle of excavations completed at Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery, the city said in a Facebook post.

Almost 50 sets of remains have been found in connection to the Tulsa race riots in the past five years, under an excavation project the city started at that time called 1921 Graves.

The 1921 Tulsa race riots began after a local newspaper printed a rumor circulating through town that a Black man assaulted a white woman. In response, a white mob destroyed an area of Tulsa known as Black Wall Street for its concentration of Black-owned businesses. The mob additionally killed about 300 people.

Two survivors of the massacre, Viola Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle, filed a lawsuit requesting reparations for what they endured. However, it was dismissed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in June.

Turn Up Your Support

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.

3 more sets of remains tied to the 1921 Tulsa race riots found with gunshot wounds

Go Deeper.

Like this?

Turn Up Your Support