I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3466 

To provide a remedy for survivors and descendants of the victims of the 

Tulsa, Oklahoma Race Massacre of 1921. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 21, 2021 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia (for himself, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS

of Illinois, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. BROWN, Mr. TORRES of New 

York, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. CARSON, Ms. JACOBS of California, Ms. 

SEWELL, Ms. NORTON, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. WILSON of Florida, and Mr. EVANS) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To provide a remedy for survivors and descendants of the 

victims of the Tulsa, Oklahoma Race Massacre of 1921. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tulsa-Greenwood Mas5 sacre Claims Accountability Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) In 1921, Greenwood (a community in 

2 Tulsa, Oklahoma) was one of the most prosperous 

3 African-American communities in the United States. 

4 At the time, an estimated 11,000 African Americans 

5 lived in Greenwood, and its commercial district was 

6 known nationally as the ‘‘Black Wall Street’’. The 

7 community boasted two newspapers, over a dozen 

8 churches, and hundreds of African-American-owned 

9 businesses. 

10 (2) On the evening of May 31, 1921, the Afri11 can-American Greenwood community of Tulsa, Okla12 homa was ravaged by a White mob, some of whom 

13 were deputized and armed by law enforcement. By 

14 the conclusion of the massacre at midday, June 1, 

15 virtually every building in a 42-square-block area of 

16 the community—homes, schools, churches, and busi17 nesses—was burned to the ground and thousands 

18 were left homeless. Over 1,200 homes were de19 stroyed. Every church, school, and business in 

20 Greenwood was set on fire. Approximately 8,000 Af21 rican Americans were left homeless and penniless. 

22 Unable to rebuild, thousands of residents spent the 

23 winter of 1921 to 1922 in tents. 

24 (3) Credible evidence supports the belief that 

25 approximately 300 African Americans were killed 


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1 during the massacre, but the exact death toll re2 mains unknown. 

3 (4) In the wake of the destruction, a State-con4 vened grand jury officially placed responsibility for 

5 the violence on the African-American community, ex6 onerating Whites of all responsibility. No one was 

7 ever prosecuted or punished for the violent criminal 

8 acts. 

9 (5) None of the nearly 200 contemporaneously 

10 filed lawsuits by residents and property owners in 

11 Greenwood were successful in recovering damages 

12 from insurance companies to assist in the recon13 struction of the community. After the city attempted 

14 to block their redevelopment efforts, victims were 

15 forced to rebuild with their own resources or aban16 don the community. 

17 (6) State and local governments suppressed or 

18 ignored issues and claims arising from the 1921 

19 massacre, effectively excising it from collective mem20 ory, until the Oklahoma Legislature created a com21 mission to study the event in 1997. The commis22 sion’s February 28, 2001, report uncovered new in23 formation and detailed, for the first time, the extent 

24 of involvement by the State and city government in 


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1 prosecuting and erasing evidence of the massacre 

2 (Okla. Stat. Tit. 74 Section 8000.1 (West 2005)). 

3 (7) The documentation assembled by the ‘‘1921 

4 Tulsa Race Riot Commission’’ provides strong evi5 dence that some local municipal and county officials 

6 failed to take actions to calm or contain the situa7 tion once violence erupted and, in some cases, be8 came participants in the subsequent violence, and 

9 even deputized and armed many Whites who were 

10 part of a mob that killed, looted, and burned down 

11 the Greenwood area. 

12 (8) Based on information contained in the re13 port, the Greenwood claimants filed suit, pursuant 

14 to the laws codified in sections 1981, 1983, and 

15 1985 of title 42 of the United States Code and the 

16 14th Amendment, seeking damages for the injuries 

17 sustained in the massacre as a result of the govern18 ment’s involvement. Their claims were dismissed as 

19 time barred by the court, and so were not deter20 mined on the merits (382 F.3d 1206 (10th Cir. 

21 2004), rehrg en banc denied (with dissent), 391 

22 F.3d (10th Cir. 2004), cert denied Alexander v. 

23 State of Oklahoma, 544 U.S. 1044 (2005)). 

24 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

25 The purposes of this Act are the following: 


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1 (1) To ensure that laws governing claims made 

2 in connection with the Tulsa, Oklahoma race mas3 sacre of 1921 and its aftermath further the United 

4 States policy of providing compensation to any 

5 Greenwood race massacre victim, who was physically 

6 injured or killed or who had their property destroyed 

7 or taken as a result of the actions of the individuals 

8 acting under color of State, county, or municipal au9 thorization, their heirs, and beneficiaries. 

10 (2) To ensure that claims made in connection 

11 with the Tulsa, Oklahoma race massacre of 1921 

12 and its aftermath are not unfairly barred by statutes 

13 of limitations or laches or other similar provision of 

14 any applicable law relating to the timeliness of the 

15 filing of claims that might prevent a claim from 

16 being heard on its merits, or any notice require17 ments imposed by State law, but are resolved in a 

18 just and fair manner. 

19 SEC. 4. CAUSE OF ACTION. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Every person who, in connection 

21 with the Tulsa, Oklahoma race massacre of 1921 and its 

22 aftermath, acted under color of any statute, ordinance, 

23 regulation, custom, or usage of the State of Oklahoma or 

24 the city of Tulsa to subject, or cause to be subjected, any 

25 Greenwood race massacre victim to the deprivation, on acVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:58 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3466.IH H3466

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1 count of race, of any right secured at the time of the depri2 vation by the United States Constitution, shall be liable 

3 to the Greenwood race massacre victim, or their heir or 

4 beneficiary, in a civil action for redress. 

5 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 

6 (1) The term ‘‘Greenwood race massacre vic7 tim’’ means any person that was physically injured 

8 or killed or had their property destroyed or taken as 

9 a result of the actions of a person acting under color 

10 of State, county, or municipal authorization during 

11 or in the aftermath of the Tulsa race massacre of 

12 1921. 

13 (2) The term ‘‘person’’ has the meaning given 

14 such term in section 1 of title 1, United States 

15 Code. 

16 (3) The term ‘‘redress’’ includes, for any resid17 ual fund created by litigation under this Act, the ap18 pointment of a special master to create and admin19 ister a compensation program, in consultation with 

20 the prevailing class of litigants, to make grants to or 

21 enter into contracts with any community-based orga22 nization, network, or coalition of community-based 

23 organizations to promote the health, safety, and wel24 fare of that class. 


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1 SEC. 5. CLARIFICATION. 

2 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a Green3 wood race massacre victim, or their heir or beneficiary, 

4 who previously brought an action under section 1979 of 

5 the Revised Statutes of the United States (42 U.S.C. 

6 1983) that was dismissed because the statute of limita7 tions is not precluded from bringing an action under this 

8 Act. 

Æ 


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