Dr. Viola Ford Fletcher, ThD., known affectionately as "Mother Fletcher," The Last of the Tulsa Race Massacre Has Died but the Fight Continues

 Dr. Viola Ford Fletcher, ThD., known affectionately as "Mother Fletcher," the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, died on Monday, November 24, 2025, at the age of 111. She died surrounded by family in a Tulsa hospital. 

Life and Legacy

• Birth and Early Life: Born on May 10, 1914, in rural Comanche County, Oklahoma, she spent her early years in Tulsa's thriving Greenwood district, an oasis for Black people during segregation known as "Black Wall Street".
• The Massacre: She was seven years old when a white mob attacked and decimated the Greenwood community on May 31, 1921. She described seeing "piles of bodies in the streets" and wrote in her 2023 memoir, Don't Let Them Bury My Story, that she could never forget "the charred remains of our once-thriving community".
• Post-Massacre: Her family was forced to flee, becoming sharecroppers, and she only completed school up to the fourth grade. During World War II, she worked as a welder in a Los Angeles shipyard. She worked as a housekeeper until she was 85, raising three children.
• Fight for Justice: In her later years, Fletcher became a prominent activist, sharing her story and fighting for reparations for the massacre victims. In 2021, she testified before the U.S. Congress, seeking acknowledgement and justice. A lawsuit she and other survivors filed seeking reparations was dismissed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in June 2024, an outcome that meant she died without seeing the justice she sought.
• Recognition: She received donations from private groups, but no payments from the city or state government. She co-authored her memoir with her grandson, Ike Howard, who was instrumental in bringing her story to a wider audience. Former President Barack Obama praised her, stating, "As a survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Viola Ford Fletcher bravely shared her story so that we'd never forget this painful part of our history". 

Condolences and Memorials

You can share your memories or condolences in her guest book available on Legacy.com. The Viola Ford Fletcher Foundation continues her work on health, education, and other initiatives