The latest search for the remains of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims has concluded with three more sets of remains being discovered, all of whom had gunshot wounds. Out of 11 sets of remains exhumed during the latest excavation, two victims displayed evidence of being shot by two different weapons, while the third victim also showed signs of burning.
Forensic anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield will examine the remains on-site before they are sent to Intermountain Forensics in Salt Lake City for DNA and genealogical testing to identify them. This comes after the recent identification of World War I veteran C.L. Daniel as one of the previously exhumed massacre victims.
The search is the fourth since Mayor G.T. Bynum initiated the project in 2018, with a total of 47 remains now unearthed. Bynum expressed hope for the search to continue even after his term ends. The investigators are mapping the graves to determine if further searches are needed based on the data collected.
Committee member Brenda Nails-Alford, a descendant of massacre survivors, expressed gratitude for the efforts in finding victims’ remains and hopes for continued justice and healing for the affected families. Bynum and City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper recently announced a committee to study reparations for survivors and descendants of the massacre as well as the community in north Tulsa where the massacre occurred.
The Tulsa Race Massacre happened in 1921 and resulted in the destruction of a prosperous Black community known as Black Wall Street, with an estimated death toll of up to 300 Black people, and the displacement of thousands of residents.
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