7 min to read
For decades after the 1920s, even to self-described Oklahoma history buffs like current Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, a nearly forgotten tragedy laid buried in the cityâs collective memory â and as Bynum would discover, much to his horror, the city itself.Â
A century later and after numerous roadblocks to continuing the investigation, Bynum, several OU archaeologists and national scholars hope to bring a measure of justice to the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre and their descendants by educating the public and memorializing those killed in the event.
Bynum, a Tulsa native, said he attended school in his home city until graduating from Cascia Hall in 1996. Despite years of education spent in the city whose residents witnessed and carried out one of the nationâs worst instances of racist violence, like many Tulsans, heâd never heard of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre until 2001, while at a town hall event for former Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFo
Oaklawn-cemetery
Oklahoma
United-states
Tulsa
City-of-tulsa
American
Bill-lafortune
Scott-ellsworth
Kary-stackelbeck
Cascia-hall
Leland-bement
Amanda-regnier
City of Tulsa
The committee overseeing the investigation searching for mass graves from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre met virtually Thursday to discuss their options regarding potential exhumation of remains found in Oaklawn Cemetery last year.
In a presentation to committee members, Tulsa Deputy Mayor Amy Brown said that to proceed with an exhumation, the city would need to receive approval from the Oklahoma State Department of Health on a plan for reinterment of any human remains.
As of now, Brown said, since the identities of the bodies discovered last year are unknown, the city can serve as next-of-kin to file for disinterment and reinterment, and the likely quickest route would be a proposal to exhume and then reinter remains in Oaklawn Cemetery.
Tulsa
Oklahoma
United-states
Oaklawn-cemetery
Amy-brown
Roberta-turner
Tate-brady
Brenda-alford
Phoebe-stubblefield
Kavin-ross
Egunwale-amusan
Oklahoma-state-department-of-health