“You should never forget” | US DOJ set to reexamine racial massacre

After months of lobbying and collaboration, the U.S. Department of Justice finally agreed to review and evaluate the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

Damario Solomon-Simmons led the effort to achieve this. He is an attorney representing living victims and other descendants of the massacre. He says it’s an important step in achieving their goals, like discovering more answers.

“We only know about 10% of what really happened. Who actually participated,” Solomon-Simmons said. “Those are things, we don’t have the ability as private attorneys to get some of that information and we’re hoping the federal government can help fill in some of those gaps.”
Egunwale Amusan is a descendant of one of the victims.

2 News listened to his reaction to the DOJ’s decision.

“People who maybe don’t understand this passion, who haven’t been a part of this fight from the very beginning, know this: We will never stop fighting,” Amusan said.

Descendants like Amusan want reparations. They also want the DOJ to recognize the racial massacre as the largest crime scene in the nation’s history.

Based on conversations he’s had with the DOJ, Solomon-Simmons expects the work to be completed by the end of this year, but he says its impact will last forever.

“(This report) truly will be, forever…As long as there is the United States of America, this report will be about what happened here in Tulsa,” he said. “And I hope it helps us get closer to justice and reparations.” which are still due.

More than a century after the massacre, descendants say they deserve better. This decision by the DOJ represents the realization of one of its greatest goals. This accomplishment is not lost on Amusan.

“This moment is one you should never forget,” Amusan said.

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