November 25, 2025
Mother Viola Ford Fletcher was an instrumental voice in remembering those lost in the massacre.
Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, has died.
Fletcher lived through one of the deadliest white supremacist attacks in the nation, the massacre that greatly destroyed “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa. Now, the city mourns one of its greatest elders and symbols of resilience through dark times.
Her death was announced on Nov. 24 by the current Mayor of Tulsa, Monroe Nichols. Also, the city’s first Black mayor, Nichols, noted the legacy and life of this mother figure in the community.
“Today, our city mourns the loss of Mother Viola Fletcher – a survivor of one of the darkest chapters in our city’s history. Mother Fletcher endured more than anyone should, yet she spent her life lighting a path forward with purpose. Mother Fletcher carried 111 years of truth, resilience, and grace and was a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we must still go,” wrote Nichols, according to Fox 23.
Born in 1914, Fletcher was a young girl when she endured such a grave act of racial violence in her hometown. Fueled by prejudiced hatred and escalated racial tensions, a mob of thousands destroyed the prosperous Black town by burning down its businesses and leaving nearly 300 Black Tulsans dead, according to the Equal Justice Initiative. Deemed by the Justice Department as a “Coordinated, Military-Style Attack,” it remains one of the darkest moments in U.S. history.
While spotlighted as a survivor of the tragedy, Fletcher spent her life dedicated to justice for the loved ones lost and devastated by the attack. She continued to advocate on their behalf well into her later years, even working on a lawsuit over reparations for the victims of the massacre. Although the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the case in 2024, her sustained efforts for a semblance of justice have made her a trailblazer for truth and bravery.
Nichols added, “She never stopped advocating for justice for the survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, and I hope we all can carry forward her legacy with the courage and conviction she modeled every day of her life. On behalf of the city of Tulsa, I offer my heartfelt condolences to her family, loved ones, the Greenwood descendant community, and to every Tulsan who saw hope in her journey. Rest in peace, Mother Fletcher.”
A year before the case’s dismissal, Fletcher, with the help of her grandson, Ike Howard, released a memoir of her life. Titled Don’t Let Them Bury My Story: The Oldest Living Survivor of the Tulsa Massacre In Her Own Words, the book detailed her journey and lifetime, ensuring those who perished and lived on from the tragedy remain uplifted.
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