I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1278 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study 

regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating the John Hope 

Franklin Reconciliation Park and other sites in Tulsa, Oklahoma, relating to the 1921 Tulsa race riot as a unit of the National Park System, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 31, 2011 

Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. JACKSON

LEE of Texas, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. COLE, Mr. 

GRIJALVA, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. 

THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 

CLAY, Mr. BOREN, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. WATT, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. 

PRICE of North Carolina, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. MOORE, Ms. RICHARDSON, 

and Ms. CLARKE of New York) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 

resources study regarding the suitability and feasibility 

of designating the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation 

Park and other sites in Tulsa, Oklahoma, relating to 

the 1921 Tulsa race riot as a unit of the National 

Park System, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Prior to May 31, 1921, the community of 

4 Greenwood, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a thriv5 ing African-American business community and home 

6 to nearly 11,000 citizens. 

7 (2) The southern end of Greenwood Avenue 

8 formed the backbone of the Greenwood commercial 

9 district. This mile-long stretch of several blocks was 

10 characterized by one-, two-, and three-story red 

11 brick buildings housing dozens of African-American12 owned and operated businesses, organizations, insti13 tutions, newspapers, churches, and a hospital. 

14 (3) Greenwood was the location of the 1921 

15 Tulsa race riot, recognized as one of the most violent 

16 race riots following World War I in terms of blood17 shed and property loss. On May 31, 1921, to June 

18 1, 1921, mobs invaded Greenwood, the city’s seg19 regated African-American community, during an 18- 

20 hour period. 

21 (4) During the riot, between 35 and 40 square 

22 blocks of Greenwood’s residential area and virtually 

23 all of the commercial district were destroyed. 

24 (5) Approximately 700 persons were injured 

25 and many people lost their lives. The American Red 

26 Cross reported that 1,256 houses were burned, leavVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:42 Apr 01, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1278.IH H1278

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1 ing 9,000 homeless. The Tulsa Real Estate Ex2 change estimated nearly $1,500,000 worth of dam3 ages, one-third of that in the business district, and 

4 claimed personal property losses at $750,000. 

5 (6) The 1921 Tulsa race riot illustrates the key 

6 characteristics of race riots during the 1886 to early 

7 1920s era and ranks as one of the most devastating 

8 incidents of racial violence in United States history. 

9 (7) As the last major race riot of the era, the 

10 Tulsa race riot represented the closing chapter to 

11 the racial violence that swept across the United 

12 States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

13 (8) Since 1921, the people of Tulsa of all races 

14 have worked closely to bridge the racial divides and 

15 to learn from the many lessons of the 1921 Tulsa 

16 race riot. 

17 SEC. 2. STUDY. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall 

19 conduct a special resource study of the sites in Tulsa, 

20 Oklahoma, relating to the 1921 Tulsa race riot, including 

21 the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, to determine 

22 the suitability and feasibility of including the sites as a 

23 unit of the National Park System. 

24 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The study conducted under 

25 subsection (a) shall include the analysis and recommendaVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:42 Apr 01, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1278.IH H1278

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1 tions of the Secretary on the alternatives for management, 

2 administration, and protection of the sites relating to the 

3 riot. 

4 (c) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the study under 

5 subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with— 

6 (1) appropriate Federal agencies and State and 

7 local government entities; and 

8 (2) interested groups and organizations. 

9 (d) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under 

10 subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with Pub11 lic Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–1 et seq.). 

12 SEC. 3. REPORT. 

13 Not later than 3 fiscal years after the date on which 

14 funds are first made available for this Act, the Secretary 

15 shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of 

16 the House of Representatives and the Committee on En17 ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the 

18 findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the study 

19 required under section 2. 

Æ 


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