## Tulsa Announces $105M Reparations Package for Race Massacre Survivors

Tulsa, Oklahoma is set to award $105 million in reparations to its black community, in a landmark move addressing the devastating effects of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The initiative, spearheaded by Tulsa's first black mayor, Monroe Nichols, aims at community redevelopment rather than direct financial compensation to descendants or the remaining survivors of the massacre.

Announced on Tulsa's inaugural Tulsa Race Massacre Observance Day, the funding plan was revealed by Nichols, who highlighted the longstanding economic and social damages caused by the massacre. Of the $105 million, $24 million will be allocated to a housing fund and $60 million will go towards a cultural preservation fund intended to combat urban decay.

Nichols emphasized the historical neglect of the massacre in educational narratives, compounded by subsequent economic injustices such as the construction of a highway that stifled local economic growth and systematic redlining practices. "Now it's time to take the next big steps to restore," Nichols asserted, underlining the need for restoration.

The initiative, named "Road to Repair," will see the funds managed by the Greenwood Trust, inspired by the Greenwood District—once known as Black Wall Street, a prosperous black neighborhood before the massacre. The goal is to secure or commit the full $105 million by June 1, with a portion dedicated to a legacy fund for land acquisition and development. Uniquely, this plan does not require approval from the city council, though it will require the council to authorize the transfer of any city property to the trust.

The significance of this initiative is magnified by its inception during a period when national policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion are facing substantial reductions. Unlike other recent reparations efforts, like those in Evanston, Illinois, this package focuses specifically on addressing the impacts of a racially motivated attack.

Evanston pioneered municipal reparations in 2021, offering funds for home repairs and down payments to qualified black residents. Despite past court battles, the last two known survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre—Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Ford Fletcher—were not granted reparations, adding gravitas to Nichols' commitment to redress historical wrongs.

As Tulsa moves forward with this historic reparations package, it sets a precedent for acknowledging and addressing the lingering inequities stemming from one of the most violent racial attacks in U.S. history.