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On Friday, May 28, 2021, the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission hosted the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Program. The Tulsa Race Massacre took place over 18 hours on May 31 and June 1, 1921. During the massacre, a white mob attacked residents, homes and businesses in the predominantly Black Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event remains one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history. The attack destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the Greenwood District—at that time, the wealthiest Black community in the United States, known as "Black Wall Street.” The program shed more light on the massacre, its aftermath and the failure to address the injustices resulting from the destruction of this vibrant community.
After the program was introduced by Commission Executive Director Mary Lynn Nicolas-Brewster, greetings were given by Sharon Matthie, Esq., President, Westchester Black Bar Association and Alejandra R. Gil, Esq., Vice President, Hudson Valley Hispanic Bar Association. Remarks and introductions were made by Hon. Kathie E. Davidson, Administrative Judge, Ninth Judicial District, FHW Commissioner. Keynote speakers were Dr. Kalenda Eaton, Associate Professor, Clara Luper Department of African & African American Studies, University of Oklahoma and Dr. Ife Williams, Associate Professor of Political Science, Delaware County Community College, Pennsylvania. Kai Adia, a young poet and an alumna of WriteGirl, shared two poems. The event was co-sponsored by the Westchester Black Bar Association and the Hudson Valley Hispanic Bar Association.
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