Viola Fletcher, one of the oldest survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre, dies at 111

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Viola Ford Fletcher, known as “Mother Fletcher,” the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, died Monday at 111. Her grandson confirmed her death, noting she passed peacefully with “a beautiful smile on her face.”

A Witness to History

Fletcher lived through the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the deadliest acts of racial violence in U.S. history. White mobs destroyed 35 blocks of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, killing and displacing thousands of Black residents. Insurance companies denied claims, leaving families impoverished.

Life After the Massacre for Viola Ford Fletcher

Fletcher never advanced beyond the fourth grade because her family fled Tulsa with nothing. During World War II, she worked as a ship welder. Afterward, she returned to Tulsa and spent her life working as a maid for white families, never earning a living wage.

Ongoing Fight for Justice

Fletcher testified in 2020 that she still remembered bodies in the street and homes burning. Survivors sought reparations, but in 2024 the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed their lawsuit. Her brother, Hughes Van Ellis, also a survivor, died in 2023 at 102.

Viola Fletcher’s Legacy and Impact

Fletcher’s life embodied resilience and courage. She carried memories of terror yet continued to speak publicly for justice. Her passing closes a living chapter of Greenwood’s history, but her voice remains a call to remember and act.

Lessie Benningfield Randle, 111, is now the only living survivor of the massacre.