I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1995 
To provide a mechanism for a determination on the merits of the claims 
brought by survivors and descendants of the victims of the Tulsa, Okla-
homa, Race Riot of 1921 but who were denied that determination. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 23, 2007 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself and Mr. NADLER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To provide a mechanism for a determination on the merits 
of the claims brought by survivors and descendants of 
the victims of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Race Riot of 1921 
but who were denied that determination. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tulsa-Greenwood Race 
Riot Claims Accountability Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress makes the following findings: 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:38 Apr 27, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1995.IH
H1995
ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
(1) In 1921, Greenwood (a community in 
Tulsa, Oklahoma) was one of the most prosperous 
African American communities in the United States. 
Serving over 8,000 residents, Greenwood’s commer-
cial district was known nationally as the ‘‘Negro 
Wall Street’’. The community boasted two news-
papers, over a dozen churches, and hundreds of Afri-
can American-owned businesses. 
(2) On the evening of May 31, 1921, the Afri-
can American Greenwood community of Tulsa, Okla-
homa, was ravaged by a white mob. By the conclu-
sion of the riot at midday, June 1, virtually every 
building in a 42-square-block area of the commu-
nity—homes, schools, churches, and businesses—was 
burned to the ground and thousands were left home-
less. Over 1,200 homes were destroyed. Every 
church, school, and business in Greenwood was set 
on fire. Approximately 8,000 African Americans 
were left homeless and penniless. Unable to rebuild, 
thousands of residents spent the winter of 1921- 
1922 in tents. 
(3) Credible evidence supports the belief that 
up to 300 African Americans were killed during the 
riot. As many victims were buried in unmarked 
graves, an exact accounting is impossible. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:38 Apr 27, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1995.IH
H1995
ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
(4) In the wake of the white mob destruction of 
the Greenwood District, a State-convened grand jury 
officially placed responsibility for the violence on the 
African-American community, exonerating whites of 
all responsibility. Neither the State nor the city un-
dertook any investigations or prosecutions, and doc-
uments relating to the riot vanished from State ar-
chives. Ultimately, no convictions were obtained for 
the incidents of murder, arson, or larceny connected 
with the riot. 
(5) None of the more than 100 contempora-
neously filed lawsuits by residents and property own-
ers in Greenwood were successful in recovering dam-
ages from insurance companies to assist in the re-
construction of the community. After the city at-
tempted to block their redevelopment efforts, victims 
were forced to rebuild with their own resources or 
abandon the community. 
(6) State and local governments suppressed or 
ignored issues and claims arising from the 1921 riot, 
effectively excising it from collective memory, until 
the Oklahoma Legislature created a commission to 
study the event in 1997. The commission’s February 
28, 2001, report uncovered new information and de-
tailed, for the first time, the extent of involvement 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:38 Apr 27, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1995.IH
H1995
ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
by the State and city government in prosecuting and 
erasing evidence of the riot (Okla. Stat. Tit. 74 Sec-
tion 8000.1 (West 2005)). 
(7) The documentation assembled by The 1921 
Tulsa Race Riot Commission provides strong evi-
dence that some local municipal and county officials 
failed to take actions to calm or contain the situa-
tion once violence erupted and, in some cases, be-
came participants in the subsequent violence, and 
even deputized and armed many Whites who were 
part of a mob that killed, looted, and burned down 
the Greenwood area. 
(8) Based on new information contained in the 
report, the Greenwood claimants filed suit, pursuant 
to the laws codifed in sections 1981, 1983, and 1985 
of title 42 of the United States Code and the 14th 
amendment, seeking damages for the injuries sus-
tained in the riot as a result of the government’s in-
volvement. Their claims were dismissed as time 
barred by the court, and so were not determined on 
the merits. 382 F.3d 1206 (10th Cir. 2004), rehrg 
en banc denied (with dissent), 391 F. 3d 1155 (10th 
Cir. 2004), cert denied Alexander v. State of Okla-
homa, 544 U.S. 1044 (2005). 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:38 Apr 27, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1995.IH
H1995
ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS