Justice Department issued report on 1921 Tulsa attack on Black Wall Street

The federal Justice Department issued a report documenting its findings on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a systematic attack on the prosperous Black community of Greenwood, also known as Black Wall Street.

The review, conducted by the department’s Civil Rights Division under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act, is part of the federal government’s ongoing efforts to reckon with past civil rights violations.

The Justice Department’s findings, compiled in a 123-page report, focus on the events of May 31 to June 1, 1921, when a group of white Tulsans launched a violent and coordinated assault on the Greenwood district.

The attack, which left hundreds of Black residents dead and the area in ruins, followed an unfounded accusation that a Black man, Dick Rowland, had assaulted a white woman.

The resulting violence, initially driven by mob action, quickly escalated into a military-style operation involving law enforcement, local deputies, and members of the community who had recently been trained as part of the “Home Guard.”

The report reveals that as many as 10,000 white residents participated in the massacre, looting homes and businesses, setting fire to 35 city blocks, and forcing Black residents to flee.

Many survivors were detained in internment camps by law enforcement, who were accused of participating in the destruction, looting, and violence.

In the aftermath, the city of Tulsa failed to provide adequate assistance to victims, and instead imposed new restrictions that hindered reconstruction efforts, including fire codes that effectively priced residents out of rebuilding their homes.

The report highlights the role of law enforcement and local officials in facilitating and perpetuating the massacre. It also notes that had modern civil rights laws been in effect at the time, there would have been avenues for federal prosecution, including for hate crimes.

However, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations and the lack of living perpetrators, legal action is no longer possible.

No prosecutions were pursued at the time, and the limited options available in 1921 were not exercised.

Despite these legal constraints, the Justice Department’s review serves as an official historical reckoning, acknowledging the trauma and loss suffered by Greenwood residents and documenting the scope of the atrocity.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized the importance of truth and justice, noting that the massacre “was the result not of uncontrolled mob violence, but of a coordinated, military-style attack.”

The department’s review included interviews with survivors and descendants, analysis of historical accounts, and consultations with scholars of the massacre.

“Congress enacted the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act to see if some measure of justice could be achieved for the long-ignored victims of racial violence,” said Clarke around the 69th anniversary of the trial of the two men who murdered Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi, but were acquitted by an all-white jury. Those men later admitted that they lynched the 14-year-old child.

While no criminal prosecutions will occur, the Justice Department’s report preserves the history of the event and reinforces its commitment to ensuring that such an atrocity is never forgotten.

More than 4,400 Black people killed by racial terror lynchings in the cotton-growing Heart of Dixie between 1877 and 1950 are remembered at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

Following the release of the report, Clarke is scheduled to meet with members of the Greenwood community, survivors, and other stakeholders in Tulsa to discuss the findings and continue the dialogue on the massacre’s legacy.