1921 Tulsa riot survivor dies without receiving reparations
By Mona Austin BACKGROUND: In this reprint we remember a survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The two-day clash between Black and White Tulsans became known as the Black Wallstreet Massacre that was prompted by a sensationalized report of a Black boy raping a White girl. Mr. Hughes Van Ellis was a baby when it happened but survived the White supremacist attack and spent years of his life telling the story and seeking reparation. With the anniversary of the riot upon us, we continue to pay our respect to the late reparations activist. AS Black history is erased in some schools in the country it is imperative that we keep a record of great Black Americans who are now resting with the ancestors. Hughes Van Ellis, lived through some of the most turbulent times in American history for over a century. The Tulsa Race Riot survivor and his sister Viola Fletcher who was also one of the last survivors, came to the US Congress in 2021 during the centennial of the attack seeking...