"Today, our city mourns the loss of Mother Viola Fletcher. She was a survivor of one of the darkest chapters in our city's history and endured more than anyone should, Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols wrote in a Facebook post. Mother Fletcher carried 111 years of truth, resilience, and grace and was a reminder of how far we've come and how far we must still go."
"When a group of white men gathered at the courthouse calling for Rowland to be lynched, a group of Black men from a nearby community responded and tried to protect him before all hell broke out, the report said. Over the next two days, vigilante groups and law enforcement looted and burned down 35 blocks of Tulsa's Greenwood District, which was then home to one of the wealthiest Black communities in the US."
Viola Ford Fletcher, a Tulsa Race Massacre survivor, died at 111 after decades of activism seeking recognition and justice for victims. She was seven during the massacre, when Dick Rowland's arrest sparked white mobs and clashes with Black defenders that led to two days of violence. Vigilante groups and law enforcement looted and burned 35 blocks of Greenwood, a prosperous Black neighborhood. Mayor Monroe Nichols called her "Mother" and praised her truth, resilience, and grace. Barack Obama and Michelle expressed gratitude for her lifelong civil rights work and sent condolences to her family.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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