City officials in Tulsa, Oklahoma announced that three more victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre were found with gunshot wounds during ongoing investigations into mass graves. Nearly 50 graves have been exhumed since the investigation began six years ago. The goal is to find possible mass graves where hundreds of Black Americans were killed, although only 26 death certificates were issued in 1921, with 21 victims reportedly buried in Oaklawn Cemetery.
The recent findings were part of the fourth round of excavations at Oaklawn Cemetery, where experts have documented over 190 graves in Section 20, only five of which had visible headstones before the investigation. The victims were not identified, but forensic analysis revealed that they sustained gunshot wounds on various parts of their bodies.
The 1921 Graves Investigation was launched to locate, identify, and connect people today with those lost in the massacre more than 100 years ago. A public oversight committee, descendants of the massacre victims, and a team of historians and scholars were involved in the effort. Four potential locations were identified as possible grave sites.
Historians estimate that as many as 300 people were killed in the Tulsa Race Massacre, which destroyed the once-thriving Black Wall Street district. The massacre remains one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history. The city of Tulsa has been working towards revitalizing Black Wall Street and addressing its violent history, including through the $10 million restoration campaign launched by the Historic Greenwood Chamber of Commerce.
Photo credit
www.usatoday.com