The Oklahoma Supreme Court has declined to reconsider its decision to dismiss a lawsuit brought forth by the last two known living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
On Tuesday, seven justices of the court, without providing any commentary rejected the request from 110-year-old Viola Fletcher and 109-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle to rehear the case. This request followed the court’s June ruling, which upheld a district judge’s dismissal of the lawsuit.
Justice James Edmondson expressed a willingness to rehear the case, while Justice Richard Darby abstained from voting.
Fletcher and Randle are among the few survivors of the massacre, widely regarded as one of the most horrific acts of violence against Black individuals in U.S. history.
During the massacre, which took place in Tulsa’s Greenwood District—often referred to as Black Wall Street—up to 300 Black residents were killed, over 1,200 homes, businesses, schools, and churches were destroyed, and thousands were forced into internment camps supervised by the National Guard. The violence was perpetrated by a white mob, including some individuals deputized by local authorities.
