February 24, 2024 - March 1, 2024 The Afro-American A5 THE BLACKwww.afro.com MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM $2.00 $1.00
Volume 132 No. 31
MARCH 2 , 2024 - MARCH 8, 2024
Viola Ford Fletcher, 109, continues to tell her story as oldest living survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre AFRO Photo / Stephen Hopkins
Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, speaks at Empowerment Temple in Baltimore on Feb. 25. By Alexis Taylor AFRO Managing Editor ataylor@afro.com
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Viola Ford Fletcher was a mere seven years old when she was forced to reckon with hatred and racism in America. The date was May 31. The place was the Greenwood section of Tulsa, Okla., and at the time it was known as the “Black Wall Street.” African-American entrepreneurs and leaders from every walk of life called the area home as they worked to build and sustain the safe haven they created. From churches to libraries,
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schools and –yes–even a hospital, the Black people of Greenwood stood tall on their accomplishments. They were a proud people, carving out the best life they could in Jim Crow’s America. But in 1921, being African American and thriving– not just surviving–was an offense paid for in blood. According to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, “on the morning of May 30, 1921, a young Black man named Dick Rowland was riding in the
elevator in the Drexel Building at Third and Main with a White woman named Sarah Page.” What happened next is debatable. The National Archives Museum reports that on May 31, 1921, Rowland, a shoe shiner, was arrested and locked inside of the Tulsa courthouse for an alleged assault. The same day, word of the alleged attack hit the local newspaper, inciting residents to gather “outside the courthouse to
either witness or prevent Rowland’s possible lynching.” “During this gathering, shots rang out,” reports the National Archives Museum. “White mobs invaded the Greenwood District…mobs bombed, looted, set fire to buildings and shot at random while Black residents defended their homes and businesses.” The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 had begun. “We were frightened and rushed,
scared,” Fletcher told the AFRO, “I saw people getting killed and I could smell and see housing burning.” The June 3 edition of the AFROAmerican Newspapers included telegraphs from Tulsa reporting “every colored church, business house and home destroyed,” with a “damage estimate of $5,000,000.” “We had churches, we had parks, stores and almost anything a family
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Black creatives set to shine at the 96th Academy Awards African-American nominees up for awards on and behind the big screen Ericka Alston Buck Special to the AFRO The 96th Annual Academy Awards will take place on March 10 in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre and the film industry’s Black talent will be on full display. In the past year, a host of extraordinary African-
AP Photo/Richard Shotwell
Colman Domingo (left) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are just two of the Black nominees in the running for an Oscar in 2024.
Danielle Brooks receives nomination for best actress in a supporting role for her powerful work in “The Color Purple” at the 2024 Oscars.
American nominees have garnered the spotlight in leading and supporting acting roles, as well as in a host of other capacities. “The Color Purple” was a blockbuster hit, introducing a whole new audience to the beauty of musicals. As a result, Danielle Brooks is currently nominated for her
screen, Sterling K. Brown is a nominee, looking to take home the prize for best actor in a supporting role for his performance in “American Fiction.” Colman Domingo made headlines for taking on the role of civil rights giant Bayard Rustin, in the movie “Rustin,” which premiered on
AP Photo / Danny Moloshok
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Sterling K. Brown is up for best actor in a supporting role after his performance in “American Fiction.”
work in the reboot. She is vying for the award for best supporting actress this year. Da’Vine Joy Randolph, seen in “The Holdovers” is in the same category, along with America Ferrera, for her work in “Barbie.” They will all face off against Jodie Foster, who appeared in Nyad. For men on the big
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Netflix. He is nominated for best actor in a leading role, along with Bradley Cooper, Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy and Jeffrey Wright. Wright, another popular Black actor with decades of film and television titles to his name, is up for the best actor in a leading role category for his work in “American Fiction.” Wright’s career has included shows like HBO’s Westworld, the movie “Cadillac Records” and the Broadway stage productions of “Topdog / Underdog.” He gained critical acclaim for his Continued on A3
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