DOJ Makes Trip To Greenwood District To Collect Evidence For Tulsa Race Massacre Probe

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched its first-ever federal investigation into the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, with officials arriving in Tulsa's Greenwood district on Thursday to gather evidence and interview survivors and their descendants.

DOJ officials are working alongside Damario Solomon-Simmons, the lead attorney representing the two remaining survivors of the massacre, to gather first-hand accounts. For more than three years, Justice for Greenwood has pushed for a federal investigation under the Emmett Till Cold Case Act to seek accountability for the racially motivated violence. The DOJ's probe is expected to shed light on the crimes committed during the massacre, where more than 300 Black Tulsans were killed, and Greenwood, a thriving Black community, was destroyed.

A press conference is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. CT, where Solomon-Simmons will provide updates alongside U.S. Congressman Al Green (D-TX) and other experts involved in the investigation. The event will take place at The Root-East Village in Tulsa.

The press conference will also feature Loyola Law School professor Eric Miller, who is serving as an attorney for the survivors.