DOJ Report on 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

This month, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) released the first-ever formal review of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The 100-page report serves to officially acknowledge and preserve the history and suffering of the massacre’s victims.

In 2020, for our annual Bishop’s Appeal, Episcopalians in Oklahoma raised over $160,000 in support of Historic Vernon A.M.E. Church in Tulsa. Historic Vernon A.M.E. Church was the only black-owned building to survive the devastating 1921 Race Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This church has been a beacon of hope, particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, where it provided over 200,000 meals to the community along with bags of groceries. Of the total funds raised, approximately half were allocated towards the renovation of the church’s kitchen facilities. The remaining half of the donations went towards fulfilling Pastor Dr. Robert Turner’s visionary project, a prayer wall on the church’s exterior. This prayer wall serves as a sacred space and pilgrimage site where individuals from all walks of life can come together to pray for global racial healing. 

Bishop Poulson reflected on the DOJ’s report, “Although this report from the Justice Department is difficult reading, it gives a much fuller picture of the coordinated atrocities and evil of the Tulsa massacre. It is only when we confront the truth and learn from it that repentance and healing can be possible, by God’s grace.”

Read the report HERE.