Biden proclaims Tulsa race massacre centenary 'Day of Remembrance'

The 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the most haunting — and strikingly overlooked — events in American history, has begun to receive more recognition on its centenary, including from the White House.

On Monday, 100 years to the day that a white supremacist mob launched an attack on a thriving Black neighborhood in Tulsa known as Greenwood, murdering as many as 300 of its residents (men, women, and children alike) and destroying its businesses, President Biden proclaimed May 31, 2021 a "Day of Remembrance."

In the proclamation, he called "upon the people of the United States to commemorate the tremendous loss of life and security that occurred over those two days in 1921, to celebrate the bravery and resilience of those who survived and sought to rebuild their lives again, and commit together to eradicate systemic racism and help to rebuild communities and lives that have been destroyed by it." Biden also said his administration is "committed to acknowledging the role" the federal government's policies played in making Greenwood's recovery "nearly impossible" and "addressing longstanding racial inequities" by investing in majority-minority communities going forward. Biden is scheduled to visit Tulsa on Tuesday.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Meanwhile, a crowd, including 107-year-old survivor Viola Fletcher (who recently testified before Congress about her memories of the massacre), gathered in Tulsa on Monday for a "moving" commemoration of the Greenwood residents who were killed a century ago.