Rest In Power: Notable Black Folks Who We’ve Lost In 2025 - Page 104

4. Viola Ford Fletcher

Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, died Monday at 111, her family confirmed. Known as “Mother Fletcher,” she passed away peacefully, her grandson Ike Howard said.

Fletcher was just seven years old when a White mob destroyed Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood, a thriving Black business district, on May 31, 1921. The attack left 35 blocks in ruins, thousands displaced, and many killed. Fletcher often recalled the horrors, saying, “It just stays with me… the fear.”

In her later years, Fletcher became a leading advocate for justice and reparations for survivors and descendants. Despite her efforts, a 2024 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling dismissed a lawsuit seeking compensation.

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