Hughes Van Ellis, one of the last known Tulsa massacre survivors, dies at 102

Hughes Van Ellis, one of the last three known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has passed away.

Death details

Ellis died in Denver, Colorado, his family said in a statement. He was 102.

Hughes Van Ellis stood among the last three known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Ellis was an infant when he and his older sister, Viola Fletcher, fled Tulsa’s Greenwood District with their family as a violent White mob tore through the thriving Black community. During the attack, the mob killed hundreds of residents and destroyed rows of homes and businesses.

Like many other Black families, Ellis and his loved ones had to abandon their home and a lifetime of opportunities.

“I lost 102 years. I don’t want nobody else to lose that,” he told CNN.

Today, the last two remaining survivors are his sister Viola, who is 109, and 108‑year‑old Lessie Benningfield.

1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

A White mob carried out the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of America’s deadliest acts of racial violence, when it descended on the area known as “Black Wall Street.” During the assault, the mob committed arson, shootings and even aerial bombings from private planes. As many as 300 people were killed, and more than 1,000 homes and businesses were destroyed, according to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum.