1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: Surviving siblings visit Ghana and Africa for the first time
- African Americans Viola Ford Fletcher and her brother Hughes Van Ellis are the last two known living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
- The 1921 incident pitched the white against the black in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the United States
- The siblings arrived in Ghana on Friday, August 13
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Surviving siblings of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Viola Ford Fletcher, 107 years old, and her brother Hughes Van Ellis, aged 100, have been welcomed into Ghana.
The two are the last known living survivors of the 1921 racist massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said Asaase Radio.
According to the Ghanaian news outlet, it is the first time the siblings are stepping on African soil, and it is for a tour of Ghana. The visit is part of a ''homecoming'' campaign organised by the social media platform Our Black Truth.
Source: Twitter
''I think this is one of the biggest historic African diasporas that has come back to us,'' said Asaase Radio, quoting Nadia Adongo Musah, deputy director of the Diaspora Office in the Office of the President.
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''When the president made the announcement on Beyond the Return in 2018 in DC, and celebrating Beyond the Return in 2019, we never thought that one of our siblings who was taken away generations on from that, 107 years old, would have the passion and interest to visit Ghana. Not only by herself, but also bringing along her younger brother, who is 100 years old,'' said Nadia Adongo Musah.
400 years later
Fletcher and Ellis arrived in Ghana in the accompany of their grandchildren for a week-long trip, as part of a Ghana Government campaign to attract people of African heritage living abroad ''back home''.
The siblings landed in Accra, Ghana's capital, on Friday, August 13, 2021.
Living the dream
Viola Fletcher recalled memories of the massacre. On that first night, in 1921. ''I went to bed in my family’s home in Greenwood,'' she recalled, in a statement issued by the Diaspora African Forum, a non-profit organisation that co-sponsored the trip with Our Black Truth, a social media platform where African descendants can learn about their history.
''I had everything a child could need … But within a few horrible hours, all of that was gone,'' said Fletcher.
''Now after all these years, I’m so happy to be fulfilling a lifelong dream of going to Africa and I am so pleased that is to beautiful Ghana.''
The Diaspora African Forum shared photos of their arrival on social media.
Historians say that as many as 300 African-American residents lost their lives, and nearly 10,000 people were left homeless in the 1921 incident that pitched the white against the black.
Ghanaian-American movie star Tanya Sam in Ghana
In a previous post, YEN.com.gh reported Tanya Sam, actress and filmmaker, is in Ghana to shoot the next season of her popular docu-series dubbed, Making of a Mogul, which seeks to give exposure to Ghanaian entrepreneurs and startup businesses.
The American Ghanaian-born film star paid a courteous visit to the leadership of Ghana's Creative Arts and Tourism sector to discuss the docu-series and establish her support in building resilient turf for businesses in Ghana.
Sam seeks to highlight Ghanaian businesses and entrepreneurs to a larger global market through her channel, Ameyawdebrah.com reported.
Source: YEN.com.gh
