The latest search for the remains of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims has ended with three more sets containing gunshot wounds being found among the 11 sets of remains exhumed in Oaklawn Cemetery. Forensic anthropologists have identified two victims with evidence of gunshot wounds from different weapons, while the third individual shows evidence of burning. The exhumed remains will be sent for DNA and genealogical testing to identify them.
This search is the fourth since Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum initiated the project in 2018, with a total of 47 remains now exhumed. Bynum, who is not seeking reelection, hopes the search for victims continues, emphasizing the importance of uncovering those who were murdered and hidden over a century ago.
Investigators are mapping the graves to determine if further searches are needed, based on the evidence that they are finding individuals who fit the profile of massacre victims. Brenda Nails-Alford, a descendant of massacre survivors, expressed gratitude for the efforts to find victims’ remains and hopes for justice and healing for the families affected.
In addition to the search for victims, a new committee has been established to study possible reparations for survivors and descendants of the massacre, as well as for the community in north Tulsa where it occurred. The massacre in 1921 was a violent episode of racial violence that resulted in the destruction of Black Wall Street, the death of hundreds of Black people, and the displacement of thousands more into internment camps overseen by the National Guard.
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