You can also listen to q a as a podcast. Find it when you get your podcast. Representatives came to the floor of the house recently to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1921 race massacre in tulsa, oklahoma. First, we will hear from new york congressman, richie torres. This is and include any extraneous material on the subject of the special order. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Torres thank you, madam speaker. Im honored to share todays special order hour on black wall street on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is chaired by our great leader, Congress Member joyce baytism i want to extend my condolences to Congress Member beatty and her family for the loss of her husband. On may 30, 1921, a single scream in an elevator became the spark that ignited a powder degree of racial terror. That set on fire black wall street. A young black man enters an elevator. An elevator operator, a young white woman, screams, giving the impression shed been assaulted. A local newspaper, the tulsa tribune accuses the young black man of raping the young white woman. The headline of the article was an incitement to racial violence, quote, nab the negro who attacked the girl in the elevator. As a result of the incitement, a white lynch mob descended on black wall street and set on fire the wealthiest black community in the United States. Reducing it to ashes. The ashes of black wall street are a metaphor for the failure of reconstruction. In the immediate aftermath of the civil war, there were newly emancipated africanamericans who set out to build a better life for themselves and their family, only to be held back by racial terror and violence that ultimately came to be codified in the form of jim crow. We at the c. B. C. Are here to not only recite the facts of the Tulsa Race Massacre, but were also here to reflect on the deeper meaning. The massacre in tulsa tells a larger story about false accusation as an incitement to violence. It tells a larger story about the failure of reconstruction and the rise of jim crow. It tells a larger story about domestic terrorism and white supremacist extremism as a form of domestic terror. It tells a larger story about the systematic denial and destruction of black wealth. And finally, it tells a larger story about the legacy of discrimination and the need for restitution. And its worth noting that here in the United States congress, there is no greater champion of reparations than the chair of the special order hour, Congress Member jackson lee. So now i would like to recognize Congress Member barbara lee, i yield the floor to her. Mrs. Lee spks thank you, madam speaker. First let me thank the gentleman from new york for organizing this very important special order and for your tremendous leadership on so many issues. On behalf of your district, the Congressional Black Caucus, all americans, thank you, mr. Torres. Let me first send my deepest condolences to our chairwoman, joyce beatty, and her family, on the loss of her beloved husband, otto beatty jr. , devoted partner, father, grandfather and community leader. Our hearts are broken as we think about congresswoman beatty and her family and just know, were praying for her and her community and her family. This is a special order tonight, i want to thank, again, congressman Ritchie Torres and the Congressional Black Caucus for organizing this, to mark 100 years since the horrific tragedy of the tulsa greenwood massacre. In one of the worst acts of racist violence in United States history, a white mob ransacked a prosperous africanamerican neighborhood in tulsa, oklahoma. From may 31 to june 1, 1921, an estimated 300 black men, women, and children were murdered. The mob destroyed 35 square blocks of greenwood and burned down over 1,000 black owned businesses, churches, and homes. During a time when lifrpbling africanamericans was common place, the alleged, mind you, alleged, assault of a white woman by a black man was enough to incite a massacre of unimaginable proportions. A Thriving Black Community became the target of animosity and racial hatred by its neighbors. A grand jury placed the blame for the massacre entirely on the black community. No white person was ever held accountable for these crimes. This was an example, mind you, of the horrors and experience of living as a black person in america then and now. In 1997, the Oklahoma Legislature established a commission to study the tulsa race riots of 1921. It was charged with the responsibility of developing a historical record of the massacre through identifying witnesses and gathering testimony and records. The commission not only corrected the record, but also recommended reparations for the survivors and their descendants. To date, they have not received any, mind you, any direct compensation. Up until recently, the silence in tulsa, in oklahoma, and in the United States about this massacre, it was an intentional effort to whitewash our nations racialized past. But we must remember these stories. We must tell the truth about our past. As i introduce h. Con. Res. 19 to establish a National Truth commission to usher in this moment to have truth to begin to examine and lift up to the public the historical record of the history and legacy of slavery and how it is manifested today in systemic racism as it relates to africanamericans. Telling the truth is not enough. We must pass h. R. 40, sponsored by congresswoman Sheila Jackson lee, who and i am a proud cosponsor of h. R. 40 which is the commission to study and develop reparation proposals for africanamericans to address and repair the material harm done by instances like the tulsa greenwood massacre. And i am pleased to say that my home state of california is leading the nation in this effort, being the first state to pass a law to establish a task force to study and develop reparation proposals. Black tulsans have still not recovered from the impacts of the sull tulsa greenwood massacre. Decades of discrimination prevented the community from bebuild rebuilding their economic vitality. Black tulsans are still two times more likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts and their communs are the least likely to attract businesses and large employers. Policies like redlines and ordinances have prevented growth. The legacy of the massacre continues to impact black tulsans today. We cannot forget and we cannot let the nation forget about the tulsa greenwood massacre. H. R. 40 is a bill that we need to move forward to begin to repair the damage of the hosshist torical facts of the legacy of enslaved african brought to this country who, quite frankly, still have not, in spite of our progress, achieved liberty and justice for all. Thank you, again, for yielding. Mr. Torres madam speaker, i now wish to yield to Congress Member johnson, hank johnson. Mr. Johnson i thank you. Congressman torres, for anchoring this very important special order hour today. And i also want to extend my deepest condolences to the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and my friend, the honorable joyce beatty, who lost her dear husband a few days ago. He passed away. And he was a fine Public Servant and a fine civil rights champion. And he will be missed. So we are there in prayer and in spirit with our dear sister. Its been said that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and yet, the terrible atrasstrastity that took place in tulsa, oklahoma, 100 years ago on may 31 and june 1 of 1921, has lived in the shadows for far too long. It is time that the truth be told. We must know our past, or we are bound to repeat it. In 1921, the black community in tulsa, oklahoma, was prospering, despite a racist system designed to marginalize and exclude it and its residents from the fruits of those citizens labor. It was a community known as greenwood. And it was also known as the black wall street. It was a thriving community. There were restaurants and grocery stores, hotels, theaters. Banks. Insurance companies. All owned by black people. This community was selfsufficient and it was prospering despite the fact that segregation was the norm and the lynching of black men was as common as the white hoods of the k. K. K. The simple fact is is, the black community was succeeding in tulsa. So white people burned it down. White supremacy and jim crow were the sparks that lit the fire. The massacre occurred over a 24hour period from may 30 po june 1 of 1921, and it all began like so many other racially motivated events, a false allegation against a black man. And in response, a white mob of thousands shot, beat, and murdered black residents, and they did it with impunity. They looted black homes and businesses and set fires in their wake. This white mob. And they were aided and abetted by the National Guard. And also deputized killers, looters, and arsonists. 24 24 hours after the violence began, 35 city blocks lay in ruins. Not a single dwelling or business or building was left standing. Within months of the greenwood massacre, the k. K. K. s tullsa chapter tulsa chapter became one of the nations largest. Because what better recruiting tool than plundering and killing blacks with impunity . No person has ever been held accountable on the state, local or federal level, in the criminal courts or in the civil courts, for the atrocities committed against the black community and the black people of greenwood in tulsa, oklahoma. And here we are today, 100 years later, still challenged by statesanctioned violence against black people. Some things have changed, but some things remain the same. The events of january 6, when confederate flags flew inside and out of the capitol, and where a hangmans noose was draped over a function algalos, constructed on the Capitol Grounds to intimidate and terrorize, that proves that not much has changed and i stand here today to tell you that weve had enough. Its time to fix america and rid racism from its soil. We must fix our country and that starts with examining our past and looking at how we can heal together as a nation and, yes, reparation. Justice delayed is justice denied and black americans in this country have been denied justice for far too long. Enough is enough. And at this time i would like to read from the Tulsa Historical Society and museum website. Its at tulsahistory. Org. I want to read the following information that it publishes which comes from the 2001 Tulsa Race Riot Commission report. On the morning of may 30, 1921, a young black man named dick roland was riding in the elevator in the drexel building at third and main with a white woman named sara page. The details of what happened vary from person to person. Accounts of an incident circulated among the citys White Community during the day and became more exaggerated with each telling. Tulsa Police Arrested roland the following day and began an investigation. An inflammatory report in the may 31 edition of the tulsa tribune spurred a confrontation between black and white armed citizens around the courthouse where the sheriff and his men had barricaded the top floor to protect roland. Shots were fired and the outnumbered africanamericans began retreating to the Greenwood District. In the Early Morning hours of june 1, 1921, greenwood was looted and burned by white rioters as they are called. Governor robertson declared martial law and National Guard troops arrived in tulsa. Guardsmen assisted firemen in putting out fires, took africanamericans out of the hands of vigilanties, and imprisoned, locked them up, all black tull sans, not tulsans not already interned. Over 6,000 people were held at the Convention Center and the fairgrounds, some for as long as eight days. 24 hours after the violence erupted, it ceased. In the wake of the violence, 35 city blocksly a in charred ruins. More than 800 people were treated for injuries and contemporary reports of deaths began at 36. Historians, however, now believe as many as 300 people may have died. In order to understand the Tulsa Race Massacre, its important to understand the complexities of the times. Dick roland, sara page and an unknown gunman were the sparks that ignited a long, smowledering fire. Jim crow, jealousy, White Supremacy and land lust all played roles in leading up to the destruction and the loss of life on may 31 and june 1, 1921. Black tulsans had every reason to believe that dick roland would be lynched after his arrest and his charges ironically were later dismissed and they were highly suspect from the start. They had cause to believe that his personal safety, like the defense of themselves and their community, depended on them alone, as hostile groups gathered and their confrontation worsened, municipal and county authorities failed to take actions to comb or contain the situation calm or contain the situation. At the eruption of violence, civil officials selected many men, all of them white, and some of them participants in that violence. And made those men their agents as deputies. In that capacity, deputies did not stem the violence, but added to it. Often through overt acts that were themselves illegal. Public officials provided firearms and ammunition to individuals, again, all of them white. Units of the oklahoma National Guard participated in the mass arrest of all or nearly all of greenwoods residents. They removed them to other parts of the city and detained them in holding centers, centers. Entering the Greenwood District, people stole, damaged or destroyed personal property left behind in homes and businesses and people, some of them agents of government, also deliberately burned or otherwise destroyed homes credibly estimated to have numbered 1,256, along with virtually every other structure, including churches, schools, businesses, even a hospital and a library in the Greenwood District. Despite duties to preserve order and to protect property, no government at any level offered adequate resistance, if any at all, to what amounted to the destruction of the greenwood neighborhood. Although the exact total can never be determined, credible evidence makes it probable that many people, likely numbering between 100 and 300, were killed during the massacre. And im reading to you from the report of the Tulsa Commission that was set up by the city of tulsa to report on the events that happened in greenwood 100 years ago. Not one of these criminal acts was then or ever has been prosecuted or punished by government at any level, municipal, county, state or federal. Even after the restoration of order, it was official policy to release a black detainee only upon the application of a white person and then only if that white person agreed to accept responsibility for that detainees subsequent behavior. As private citizens, many whites in tulsa and neighboring communities did extend some assistance to the massacres victims, to their credit. Despite being knew merrickly at a dis numerically at a disadvantage, black tulsans fought fought valiantly to protect their homes, businesses, homes and community. But in the end, the citys africanamerican population was simply outnumbered by the white invaders. In the end, the restoration of greenwood after its systemic destruction was left to the victims of that destruction. While tulsa officials turned away some offers of outside aid, a number of individual White Tulsans provides assistance to the citys now virtually homeless black population. In recent years there have been ongoing discussions on what to call the event that happened. Historically its been called the tulsa race riot. Some say it was given that name at the time to for insurance purposes, designating it a riot prevented Insurance Companies from having to pay benefits to the people of greenwood whose homes and businesses were destroyed. Now, this is not me talking, im still reading from that report. It also was common at the time for any large scale clash between different racial or ethnic groups to be categorized a race riot. What do you think the report think, the report asks . Deaf nillings of definition of riot, a you to mults white house disturbance of the public peace by three or miles an hour you to mults white house tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons. Killing helpless or unresistance human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty, massacre. So thats why i personally refer to it as the tulsa, greenwood massacre as opposed to a race riot. And having read those excerpts, im now ready to yield back to the gentleman from new york and i thank him for extending the time to me. Thank you, congressman, for your deep insights and thank you for the kind words earlier. Just some background in tulsa, oklahoma. The district of greenwood in its prime was famously described by booker t. Washington as black wall street. It was so named because temperatures the it was the most vibrant and affluent Africanamerican Community in the United States. It was an oasis of opportunity. In a desert of discrimination. Mr. Torres for many africanamericans in search for a better life, it was a promisedland amid the broken promise Promised Land amid the broken promise of reconstruction. It was home to 10,000 residents, there were 30 vibrant restaurants, 45 vibrant grocers and meat markets. It was a 54land there was a 54room hotel. There was a theater and a hospital, black wall street was a selfcontained, selfsufficient community of black wealth, a community of black entrepreneurship and black ownership. And black wall street at the hands of racial terrorism arkts the hands of racial violence, the wealthiest black community in the United States became a scene of mass murder and looting and arson. Became a scene of death, destruction and displacement. And nothing was spared in the Tulsa Race Massacre. Churches and schools and hospitals were burned down. 12,000 homes burned down. 35 blocks burned down. The tulsa burning had a death toll of 300 and a displacement toll of 10,000, 10,000 people lost their homes and their businesses and their livelihoods. And 6,000 of those people were relegated to internment camps. And then after the internment camps, black professionals, black Business Owners who lost everything were forced to live in tents and shacks. It was the worst act of racial terrorism and one of the worst acts of domestic terrorism in the history of the United States. I see a parallel between the Tulsa Race Massacre and january 6. The insurrection against the United States congress on january 6 was not simply an attack on a physical structure, it was an expression of racial rage and resentment against multiracial democracy. We have to recognize that the domestic terrorism we saw on january 6 did not happen in a vacuum. It has a history. And that history includes the k. K. K. And includes jim crow, and yes, it includes the Tulsa Race Massacre. And it is a scandal in america that most americans never heard of the Tulsa Race Massacre. It has been referred to as a race riot, which is attempt to whitewash at the heart of the massacre. And we are here to tell the truth about the tulsa greenwood massacre, because we see the history away from white washing as part of our National Reckoning with race in america. And i want to part of our National Reckoning with race in america, you know, its worth noting in 2021, black home home ownershipship is at historic lows. It is lower today than it was in the 1960s. It has never been greater. According to the federal reserve, they have eight times more wegget than black households and part of the reason is the tulsa massacre and the systemic racism that it racism. There is a gap between White House Holds and greater wealth gap and the wealth gap is not an accident. It is a product of Public Policy. It is a son sequence of systemic racism. We saw blacks excluded from programs from Higher Education which are the pillars of wealth building. And if you have no home to own, then you have no home equity to build. If you have no home equity to build, you have no wealth to pass down from one generation to the next. Instead of realizing the dream, too many blackamericans were condemned by systemic racism to the nightmare of interjennings rational poverty. The plaques, the Tulsa Race Massacre should be understood as a microcosm of what white spreems asy has done to plaque people and plaque property, plaque business and plaque community and the ghosts of jim crow and the ghosts of the tulsa massacre haunts us. I represent the bronx and many of the businesses have been owned by the same family. But those businesses, all of them are white. And i thought, what if plaque whall street had been left alone, had been left to thrive. It may be the case that some of those businesses would have endured until 2021. We could have haed businesses owned by plaque businesses for more than blacks until 1921. When it comes to business, longevity is often the business for resilience and busiest that had greater resilience in covid19. And businesses in plaque and brown were too fragile to survive. And in the first two months of the outbreak, 44 of black businesses were wiped out. 44 . Which raises the question, what if black wall street were left to thrive and what if we could have businesses that could have the longevity to overcome an event like covid19 . I want to provide more historical background on may 31, a white mob attacked americas black wall street, the Greenwood District of tulsa oklahoma in what is known as the tulsa massacre. And they shot and murdered residents and burned churches, schools and businesses. Not only did Law Enforcement fail to maintain and protect some government agents aided the white mob in carrying out the massacre. Many residents were detained in intern meant camps and local officials to olympic the ability of the black community to rebuild the greenwood commercial district by enacting a restrictive ordinance. A grand jury placed the blame on the plaque community and indicted africanamericans with massacrerelated offenses. No white person was never held accountable. And the vast majority of defenders were not compensated for these harms. Not only did the white lynch mob set the black commuvente on fire, but then the United States proceeded to whitewash the history of the massacre claiming it was a race riot rather than the domestic terrorism than it was. No white person was held to account. And no plaque person was made whole. Despite the acute challenges of the 20th century, black residents have been able to create it in the Greenwood District. This community was burned to the ground. And to this day, no one has been held responsible and worth noting that even though greenwood has rebuilt itself, greenwood has the highest rates of poverty and unemployment in the city of tulsa which demonstrates the legacy of systemic racism, how hard it can be to overcome that legacy. The tulsa mass acker valid from 25 million to 100 million when adjusted in today eye dollars. Looted businesses had the benefit to. Mr black survivors have not been able to recoupe the loss that has been destroyed during the massacre. Despite the Oklahoma Commission to study the massacre stating quote, reparations and it would be good Public Policy and emotional scars in our past. Despite that finding, neither the state of oklahoma oak nor the city of tulsa has provided anything to the did he denied ants. It did not end. Over the local decades, local ordinance prevented rebilling, urban renewal, highway construction, tearing apart communities and i represent the south bronx which has been ravaged by racist highway neen by robert moses and federal dollars and the cross bronx expressway has displacement and environmental degradation and children who were born in the bronx who go in there and experience respiratory disease and we saw those diseases become lethal during covid19. And as a son of the bronx, i was often in three places. I was at home and at school and in the emergency room because i was repeatedly hospitalized and the asthma epidemic is not an accident but a consequence which is both literally a structure of racism. The south bronx has asthma rate that is doubled three times the national average. I would like the south bronx, the neighborhood of greenwood has its own highway and one of the most exciting features of the americans jobs plan a proposed 20 billion fund that would rebuild neighborhoods that were devastated by the Structural Racism of highways and i hope neighborhoods like greenwood and the south bronx will benefit from our National Reckoning with race. The impact of the massacre and the discrimination is clear when you commare north tulsa to other areas. Residents are significantly poor and residents in other parts of the city. Fewer businesses and large scale employers in north tulsa than other cities. According to a study, north tulsa had the fewest jobs yet the Unemployment Rate is higher than black tulsanses than the White Tulsans. And the greatest concentration of black residents. The United States has a responsibility to both acknowledge the harm caused by the tulsa massacre and to enact remedies and policy proposals to exen state did he send ants. There is snow glater champion of making the victim of making them whole and than the chair of our special order and it would be my honor to yield to representative jackson lee. Ms. Jackson lee i thank the the gentleman from from new york detailing and bringing to the 21 century the race riots calling it what it is and not being fearful of not acknowledging the impact of the tulsa race riot. Its my honor to now continue the discussion on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus and cochair of the special order hour, the honorable congressman torres of new york. Let me thank our chair, chairwoman beatty for matching her members with this process of ensuring that the history, the unbiased history of a people in all of our variations is told truthfully. We, too, are americans. The tulsan residents of that time were americans as well. Im reminded of the early stages might have education when congressman torres when, congressman torres, history was the nina, the pinta and the santa maria. I can almost repeat that in my sleep. The three ships that came with christopher columbus. He was the founder of america. Over and over again. Im not sure during the period of our Early Childhood and those of recent vintage learned anything of native american history, korean american history, japanese american, chinese american, africanamerican, slavery. I dont know if our children in periods of the 20th century and now in the 21st century knew there was more history. I do know that the past president wanted the smithsonian, the africanamerican culture, to stop teaching about african history. I know that there was a challenge to the u. S. Department of education by minority leader mcconnell to stop teaching the 1619 project. It baffles me because i believe that if a country or a people know its history, we will not be doomed to repeat the past. When i say a people, america is represented by many people. If we knew each others history , if we understood each others history, could we not, even if not those who are already passed, could our children grow up with empathy and understanding . That is why were here on the floor of the house. Were not here to castigate and to throw untruthful hits. Were here to tell the truth. Madam speaker, tears come to my eyes, as a series, and i only get to look at Television Late in the night, after all the days work is done, and theres a series called the underground railroad much you cannot look at that the underground railroad. You cannot look at that without shaking in your boots, shaking in the chair youre sitting in. Tears coming to your eyes. That is the empathy that america can understand, for all the journeys that so many of us have taken, weve taken it and were here in this place, the greatest experiment that the world watches, can they make it . They were watching it from Abraham Lincolns prockplation proclamation of the emancipation, 1863, and then general granger in 1865. They watched us through the 1800s. We failed. Reconstruction did not work. Even with all the governors and Congress People that had been elected of freed slaves. The land that they had, that ugly head of racism, White Supremacy, lynching, the tearing asunder of black communities, the still tearing apart families, the lynching of men and women who went off to a grocery store, when i say that, the local store, whatever it was, down the road, and never came back. 1921, boy, im just so proud of this picture. This is the bustling tullsa tulsa, oklahoma. This is the example of the excitement. Im reading where it says the mcgowan variety store, mcgown there are some mcgowans in houston, they might be related. Prancing with their cowboy hats on. It looks as if students, just like we would see in our neighborhoods today, or in our high schools today, dancers, they had a full holistic community. There are some cars on the street. Can you imagine, 1921. Oh, i wish i could just take a trip back to stand on the sidewalk and just look with pride of history i did not know. I never imagined there were cities like tulsa, oklahoma, as i was growing up as a child. I never imagined we had anything, we were worth anything except for what my mother and father and grandparents poured into me. My big mother, which is my greatgrandmother, who owned property, obviously destroyed by the highways and freeways that came in and took it away in st. Petersburg, florida. I just thought that was our way of life. Just like i thought riding in the back of a train going south to visit her, sitting by my lonely with a bag of fried chicken, thats right, im not embarrassed. That carried me through to visit my grandmother in st. Petersburg, florida. Thank god i got there safely. I was just about 8 or 9 or 10 and i was sitting in the colored car. And i wasnt supposed to move except for necessary purposes. I didnt know, i didnt know i could come here and see this. And our children dont know it. Thats why were on the floor today. Were on the floor today because we have to begin to embrace each others story. And so im very delighted that im leading on h. Res. 398, embraced by the Congressional Black Caucus, this will be on the floor of the house this coming wednesday. And my counterpart in the United States senate is a very dear friend, senator elizabeth warren, who believes in this resolution that is the recognizing of the forthcoming centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and it doesnt say riot, it says massacre. It was a massacre. Thank you to the house leadership. Thank you for their understanding the value and importance of this as we lead into june and begin to move on h. R. 40, the commissioners study and developed reparation proposals. Nothing harmful, nothing that will undermine anyone. It is to accept what happened. Im so grateful we have almost 100 cosponsors and maybe more to come in the next 24 hours. For a story that was never told. Oh, yes, i could tell you about columbus, tell you about Abraham Lincoln and george washington. As a little black girl, most of them today in the 21st century, theyre not hearing about the wide diversity of our history, madam speaker. Yours and mine. And the many people that are on this side of the aisle or their side of the aisle. So let me just recount very briefly again a century ago white rioters, local laurnl, selfappointed vigilanties claimed to be acting reasonably and in selfdefense against what they feared was a black uprising. Same as january 6 where there were people who had the audacity to say looked like tourists on any normal day. When we were laying flat on the floor in this building while banging and screams and guns drawn on this side of that door , we didnt know whether we would live and a lifesaving shot. For that person who did not know what was happening, attempting to save lives, sadly someone lost their life. Members in near panic, rightly so. Leaving these chambers, walking down and seeing a. K. Ak47s in the hands of individuals laying flat on ground that our brave officers had under their watch. Yes. Rioters. But in greenwood, i want this picture to be imbedded in your d. N. A. Because you will see economic prosperity, selfsufficiency, yes, it was known as the black wall street. They viewed, however, black males as fearsome, physical threats to their personal safety and the rivals of white women. I dont know what happened in an elevator, allegedly the story, you know its always a mystery. But some claim of some insult that occurred. And all of a sudden the word went out and raging leaders of the White Community, fine citizens, probably in church in some church, over the weekend, when i say that in their church in that time, because they were always using the bible wrongly in and incorrectly and ill say that because i believe in a merciful, redemptive jesus. As a christian. There are many other faiths. Torah and koran and others. But in the redemption faith of christianity, we believe in redemption. We dont go out because we know that we have had one to sacrifice for us on the cross, so that we might be redeemed. We sing that song in our community, let the redeemed say so. But apparently they didnt have that memory. 100,000 black people lived in that area. Sold luxury items. 21 restaurants 3rks1 grocery stores, a post office, three hotels. Jewelry and clothing, two movie theaters, a library. Pool halls. Bus and cab service. Nationally recognized school system. Nationally recognized school system. When all of us are fighting for our children to be educated. The day i left houston, and guess what, we have a new resident of texas, curtis jackson, known as 50 cent, we were standing together because he was producing with our mayor, turner, and the School Superintendent and all of elected officials to announce an entrepreneurial program. Can you imagine. To be able to build up our children. This had two black newspapers, six private planes, and i want to say it again. A recognized school system. On may 31 of that year, 35 city blocks went up in flames and 300 persons were murdered and to my knowledge buried in an unmarked grave. 800 were injured and 9,000 were left homeless. Yes, one cannot ignore this history, but it has been ignored, its been snuffed out and put under. I never knew about it. Until people like the doctor from this great city and various leaders that have brought to our attention even more, but over the years obviously, in my study of reparation, ive seen the insults that have happened when no one bothered to respond. Brutality that we are now trying to correct by acknowledging in h. Res. 398 and i hope my colleagues will come to the floor of the house to be able to address it. Let me show you what that massacre generated. And youll understand. Madam speaker, how much time is remaining . The speaker pro tempore seven minutes. Ms. Jackson lee thank you so very much. So you saw the bustling town. You saw the bustling town. Then this is a charred negro who suffered in the tulsa riots. Yes, im like emmett tills mother, let the world see it. This is what happened to an innocent black person. By the way, the dead included children. Tulsa historical society, this is america. And this is the story that we fail to tell. This is what happened. We have more stories to tell. We believe the pictures worth a thousand words. We can never, never overcome that burned, charred body. I showed you what tulsa looked like, the black wall street. Burnedout ruined of greenwood, tulsa, oklahoma, library. They even got in the library. I dont know how many people have seen it. A wasteland. A literal wasteland. Smoke coming up. Peoples homes gone. Wealth gone. Never to be presented with any relief. None. Dont even think they got a thank you. Not even a thank you. So our resolution condemns violence and destruction, perpetrated against the Africanamerican Community of greenwood. Our resolution has a rejection and active opposition to the false ideology of White Supremacy and condemnation of all groups, our resolution believes in promoting tolerance and unity and taking action to ensure governmental policies and actions do not force a division, disharmony or tolerance. Calling for all americans to celebrate the ethnic, racial and religious diversity thats made the United States great. Our resolution encourages all persons of the United States to reflect upon the history of the United States as an imperfect but committed journey to establish a more perfect union. Our resolution is recognizing the commitment of congress to acknowledge and learn from the history of racism, racial violence in the United States. Our resolution lays the groundwork for moving to h. R. 40, the commission to study and develop reparation proposals. Because we can see it in real life. So, this is part of the tulsa that never got acknowledged. Let me show you additional. Fires. You can see the buildings going up in smoke. Were not making it up. All of these buildings, brick buildings, burned to the ground. Can you imagine someone who survived, the posttraumatic stress, the the horrors of their life, the willingness not to live anymore . The giving up hope . And people wonder, oh, those lazy negros and colored people who worked for over 250 years in bondage, finally, this should be the remaining i think i want to put the picture of the slave, the individuals. So this is the story we tell tonight. We dont even tell it with a sense of vengeance. We tell it with a sense of dignity. Respect and honor. The courage of those people, the genius of those people, they werent even freed slaves for 100 years, look what they created. Look at what they created. Migrategrandmother survived the tulsa massacre. What was once the wealthiest is charred ash and we are not ending. I ask unanimous consent to include this in the record. And include the h. Res. 398 in the record. I asked to include the tulsa and then i want to salute those who will be honoring 100 years. I want to say remember what i said, remember the history of christopher columbus. I didnt know the history of my own slavery. Big mother. And i knew i rode in the back of a train to visit her as a little girl. And guess what. Governor stits of oklahoma was on the and he signed the bill can you believe it. House bill 1775. As well, he goes on to not stand for what this commission is all about, truth. Tonight, we come to the floor. Remember what i said rningts i am not in any way throwing darts at any way, stones at anyone, i am here to raise up the dignity of this man, this person, this body, burned because he was black, prosperous and ready to serve america. No one can tell me how many in that 1920 massacre had worn the uniform and made a life and how many of how many of those ready to go serve in world war ii and continue to build this wonderful economic engine. Today, those who remain free living descend ants, they tell me as i go through tulsa, there is one door left. It is a crying shame. And so i lift this story up and i let you know that the Congressional Black Caucus, has a vital purpose to tell the story. Someone, i hope is listening. Swone i hope hank johnson and barbara lee, because if we dont know our history, we are doomed to repeat it. We must take the reins and honor them and we must fight on, pass this resolution on the centennial and pass the american jobs plan, pass the American Rescue plan. Lift all votes. And as we do so, god will be the witness for what we have done and the journey we have made. Im honored to have been made here and honored to be part of this house of representatives and honored to be an american than and i will not have my history denied or my children not knowing history and let us march or cspans washington journal. Please take your calls on the news of the day and discuss policy issues. Coming up sunday morning, opinion writer paul waldman discusses the biden presidency and the republican party. Law School Professor Frank Buckley on his new book