Proposed Bill Offers $20.7 Million Payout to Last Living Tulsa Massacre Survivors, Finalizing All Claims Against U.S.

The "Original Justice for living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre Act" aims to finally deliver reparations to the few remaining survivors of the 1921 attack on Black Wall Street. This bill cuts straight to the chase: it authorizes two specific payments for each eligible survivor—one for compensatory damages and one for punitive damages—totaling a massive $20,796,736 per person.

The Clock is Ticking: Who Gets Paid and When

This legislation is driven by extreme urgency, recognizing that only two survivors, Viola Ford Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle, are currently known to be alive. To be eligible, a survivor must be alive as of May 1, 2025. The Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights is tasked with certifying these individuals, and the process is designed to be incredibly fast and simple: all that is required is a birth certificate for proof of identity. The bill explicitly states the Attorney General cannot ask for any other information, streamlining the process to ensure these elderly individuals receive payment quickly. Once certified, the Treasury Secretary has just 30 days to issue the funds, which will be drawn from a federal judgment fund, not general tax revenue.

The Real Cost of 'Final' Justice

While the financial relief is significant and desperately needed, the bill comes with a major condition that acts as a legal trade-off. Section 4 and Section 5 are the fine print that matters most. Acceptance of the $20.7 million payment counts as a complete and final settlement of every single claim the survivor might have against the United States government related to the harms covered by the massacre. Think of it like signing a release form: once the check clears, the book is officially closed on suing the federal government over this historical injustice. Furthermore, accepting this payment means the survivor is ineligible for any other future federal compensation or benefits related to the same harm. This is the government buying legal peace for a historical failure.

What This Means for the Rest of Us

For the two known survivors, this bill offers immediate, substantial, and long-overdue justice, acknowledging the federal government’s failure to intervene in 1921. However, the finality clause raises important questions, especially for the broader community and descendants. By settling all claims now, the bill effectively closes the door on future litigation or compensation attempts against the U.S. government regarding the massacre. While the current focus is necessarily on the living survivors, this provision means that future generations of victims seeking federal redress for the systemic harm caused by the massacre will find that legal avenue closed off by this legislation. It’s a clear example of justice delivered now, but at the cost of waiving future claims against the federal entity responsible for the initial inaction.