Questions Remain About Abrupt Cancellation Of Remember & Rise Event

New details are emerging after the abrupt cancellation of a major event planned at ONEOK Field for the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial, just days before the 100th anniversary.

An argument between the Centennial Commission and a local attorney is shedding light on the decision to cancel the event. At the center of the disagreement is how much money will be given to living survivors.

State Senator Kevin Matthews, chairman of the Race Massacre Centennial Commission, says this weekend is about much more than just one event.

In speaking with media Friday afternoon, Matthews said they had been approached by legal representation of the three living survivors and said they had agreed to $100,000 per survivor, along with $2 million in seed money for a reparations fund. He said they had raised the money.

News On 6 has an email that shows Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, representative for the living survivors of the Race Massacre, gave the commission a new list of demands. The demands increased to $1 million per survivor and $50 million for the reparations fund. Also included in the email to the Commission, demands for a third of the revenue from the Greenwood Rising Museum for the reparations fund, six seats on the board of Greenwood Rising, public support for their lawsuit against the city and state for reparations, along with a speaking role at the Remember and Rise event.

"So, to be clear, I absolutely want the survivors, the descendants and others that were affected to be financially and emotionally supported. However, this is not the way, no matter how hard we try. We do have the funds, and if the legal team doesn’t bar us from it again, we will be providing those funds directly to the survivors," Matthews said.

Solomon-Simmons said that "reports that the Commission canceled their big event because of “lawyer demands” is woefully inaccurate."

In a statement, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission didn't specify the circumstances that led to the cancellation of the event scheduled for Monday at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. The commission statement held out hope that it might be rescheduled later this year.

Related Story: New Details Emerge Regarding Tulsa Race Massacre Remembrance Main Event Cancelation

"Due to unexpected circumstances with entertainers and speakers, the Centennial Commission is unable to fulfill our high expectations for Monday afternoon's commemoration event and has determined not to move forward with the event at this time," the statement said.

You can read the full letter sent by Solomon-Simmons to the Centennial Commission on May 23 below or by clicking here for page 1 and page 2.

You can read the full statement from Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, sent on May 28, below.

After months of zero communication and under immense pressure that John Legend and Stacey Abrams may no longer participate if the survivors were not centered, a meeting was scheduled for Saturday. Immediately following that call, our legal team submitted a written list of seven requests to ensure the survivors participation with the Commission’s scheduled events. WE revisited that list of requests on yet another Zoom call on Tuesday. The agreement was to have answers on each of the requests by COB. That didn’t happen.

There was never a non-negotiable demand for $50 million dollars. The non-negotiable issues were that the fund would provide direct financial support to survivors and descendants, that the fund would be administered by descendants and community members, and the fund be held in a Black bank. The Justice for Greenwood Foundation, whose board includes descendants and community members, has already established a fund. Nevertheless, we were willing to explore details of the fund’s administration, so long as the fund continued to be overseen by a majority of descendants and community members.

We have turned our attention to raising money for them, ourselves and on our scheduled events. We have three remaining survivors. They will be heard. They will live with grace and dignity. The time for justice is now.