"Equivalent to a Century of Massacre" Class Action Lawsuit 100 Years After the Tulsa Race Massacre in the US

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Centered around a 105-year-old grandmother, the victims of the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma racial massacre in the United States have filed a class-action lawsuit for damages nearly 100 years after the incident, the Guardian reported on the 1st (local time). With anti-racism protests continuing in the U.S. ahead of the November presidential election, the political impact of this lawsuit is drawing attention.

The Tulsa racial massacre, considered one of the worst tragedies in American history, occurred from May 31 to June 1, 1921, when white mobs, supported by local authorities and police, raided the relatively affluent Black neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, carrying out shootings, looting, and arson. Approximately 300 Black people lost their lives, 35 city blocks were destroyed, and thousands of African Americans were forced to relocate.

According to reports, Lessie Benningfield Randle (105) is one of the few survivors of the incident. Randle and descendants of the Black victims killed in the massacre filed a lawsuit on this day demanding compensation from the city of Tulsa, Tulsa County, the then Tulsa County sheriff, the Oklahoma National Guard, and the Tulsa regional council.

The plaintiffs argue that racial inequality has persisted to this day due to the incident and that the shadow of the massacre still looms over the Greenwood area. Randle’s attorney stated that she still remembers the neighborhood burning and bodies piling up in the streets at the time. The legal team claimed in the complaint, "The defendants unjustly profited by sacrificing Tulsa’s Black citizens and the descendants of the massacre victims."

According to the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), 34% of Black residents in Tulsa live in poverty, which is higher than the 13% poverty rate among White residents. The legal team views the aftermath of the 1921 Tulsa massacre as the cause of this economic disparity.

Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons emphasized, "The massacre in the Greenwood area left Black people with no sense of security and deprived them of hard-earned economic power and a vibrant community." He added, "Racial inequality is evident across various life indicators such as life expectancy, health, unemployment rate, education level, and financial stability," and pointed out, "The defendants have been slowly carrying out the massacre over a century."

This case gained attention in June when U.S. President Donald Trump chose Tulsa as the location to resume election campaigning, which had been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to hold the rally on June 19, Juneteenth, the day commemorating the emancipation of slaves, sparked controversy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.