On the first official Tulsa Race Massacre Observance Day, Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols announced the creation of the Greenwood Trust, a $105 million private charitable initiative aimed at repairing the generational harm caused by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Justice For Greenwood welcomes this step forward and is encouraged to see several key proposals from its 13-point Project Greenwood reparations plan reflected in the mayor’s vision.
“We’re excited to move into this next phase with Mayor Nichols, city leadership and Tulsa advocates,” said Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, Executive Director and Founder of Justice For Greenwood. “Many of the commitments outlined today echo the very proposals our team and community have spent years fighting to bring to light. This alignment is a testament to the power of truth-telling and organized advocacy – and we’re ready to work together to ensure these ideas become real outcomes for descendants.”
The Greenwood Trust will prioritize investments in three areas:
- Affordable Housing and Homeownership: $24 million aligned with the Beyond the Apology Commission Recommendations.
- Cultural and Historic Preservation: $60 million to protect Greenwood’s legacy through place-based projects, surviving institutions, and cultural landmarks — a direct reflection of our “surviving entities” proposals outlined in Project Greenwood.
- Economic Development and Education: A $21 million endowment for educational scholarships, and small business grants — echoing Justice For Greenwood’s calls to resource descendants.
Importantly, the official recognition of June 1 as Tulsa Race Massacre Observance Day was also one of the proposals outlined in Project Greenwood.
Mayor Nichols also committed to greater transparency. At the recommendation of Justice For Greenwood, more than 45,000 previously unreleased records tied to the Massacre were made public today — a long overdue step toward truth-telling and historical accountability.
In addition to the Trust and records release, the mayor reaffirmed a commitment to continuing the City’s mass graves investigation — an effort Justice For Greenwood has long championed. While the City has focused on DNA testing, Justice For Greenwood has prioritized a genealogy-first approach rooted in historical research and descendant engagement. To date, our team has completed genealogical research for more than 230 members of the Greenwood Descendant Community — including Pending, Chronicled, Self-Identified, and Chronicled Collateral Descendants. These documented family histories, tied to victims and survivors, underscore that the answers we seek are already within reach when we follow the paper trail of our people.
“This is a significant and hopeful moment,” added Attorney Solomon-Simmons. “But’s also just the beginning. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the mayor’s team and the broader community to build something enduring – rooted in justice, guided by the survivors and descendants, and grounded in the truth.”
“In 1921 Black Wall Street was a symbol of what was possible for Black America, and today, Mayor Nichols has taken a meaningful step toward making Greenwood a symbol once again — not just of what was lost, but of what we can rebuild together.” — Attorney Eric J. Miller, Professor and Leo J. O’Brien Fellow Co-Director, Loyola Anti-Racism Center.
Justice For Greenwood will remain focused on implementation, transparency, and ensuring the Greenwood Trust centers the needs and voices of survivors and descendants.
To view the Mayor’s letter and learn more, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/roadtorepair
To learn about Project Greenwood, visit www.ProjectGreenwood.com