OKLAHOMA CITY — A third set of remains with a gunshot wound has been found at Tulsa cemetery in the search for graves of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, according to a state official.
The remains are one of three sets exhumed so far during the latest search and were found in an area where 18 Black men killed in the massacre are believed to have been buried, Oklahoma State archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said in a statement on social media Friday.
“We have exhumed him, he is in the forensic lab and undergoing analysis,” on-site at Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery, Stackelbeck said.
The discovery comes nearly a month after the first identification of remains previously exhumed during the search for massacre victims were identified as World War I veteran C.L. Daniel from Georgia.
Forensic anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield said that no gunshot wound was found in Daniel’s remains, but said the remains were fragmented and a cause of death could not be determined.
The remains exhumed during the current search are among 40 graves found, Stackelbeck said, and meet the criteria for how massacre victims were buried, based on newspaper articles at the time, death certificates and funeral home records.
“Those three individuals are buried in adult-sized, wooden caskets so they have been removed from the ground and taken to our forensic facility on site,” Stackelbeck said.
Previous searches resulted in more than 120 sets of remains being located and about two dozen were sent to Intermountain Forensic in Salt Lake City in an effort to help identify them.
On Thursday, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper announced a new committee to study a variety of reparations for survivors and descendants of the massacre and for the area of north Tulsa where it occurred.
The massacre took place over two days in 1921, a long-suppressed episode of racial violence that destroyed a community known as Black Wall Street and ended with as many as 300 Black people killed, thousands of Black residents forced into internment camps overseen by the National Guard and more than 1,200 homes, businesses, schools and churches destroyed.
The search for the graves of victims from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has taken a significant step forward with the recent discovery of a third set of remains. This discovery marks a crucial development in the ongoing effort to uncover the full extent of the atrocities committed during one of the darkest chapters in American history.
The Tulsa Race Massacre, also known as the Tulsa Race Riot, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when a white mob attacked the predominantly Black neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The violence resulted in the deaths of an estimated 300 Black residents, the destruction of over 1,200 homes and businesses, and the displacement of thousands of people.
For decades, the true scale of the massacre was downplayed or ignored, with many of the victims’ bodies never properly identified or buried. However, in recent years, efforts to uncover the truth and honor the memory of those who lost their lives have gained momentum.
In October 2020, a team of archaeologists began excavating a section of Oaklawn Cemetery in Tulsa, where it was believed that some of the massacre victims were buried in unmarked graves. The team made their first discovery in July 2020, when they uncovered a set of remains that were later confirmed to be those of a young Black man who likely died during the massacre.
Since then, the team has continued their painstaking work, using ground-penetrating radar and other advanced technologies to search for additional graves. Their efforts have now led to the discovery of a third set of remains, bringing renewed hope that more victims will be identified and properly laid to rest.
The discovery of these remains is a somber reminder of the horrors of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the need to confront the painful legacy of racial violence in America. It also underscores the importance of preserving and honoring the memory of those who suffered and died during this tragic event.
As the excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery continues, it is crucial that we support and amplify the efforts of those working to uncover the truth about the Tulsa Race Massacre. By acknowledging and confronting this dark chapter in our history, we can take important steps towards healing and reconciliation, and ensure that the victims are never forgotten.
