Stacey Abrams is set to deliver the keynote address at the "Remember & Rise" event commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Led by the 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Commission, the nationally televised event will take place on May 31.
"Her tireless efforts to create equity and access for Black Georgia voters has inspired the entire country to re-envision what inclusive structures, systems and communities should look like," 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Commission Director Phil Armstrong said.
The voting right activist's keynote address is just one of a dozen events commemorating those lost to the race massacre. This week, several survivors of the massacre and their descendants are set to testify on Capitol Hill. Also, a group of Black gun rights activists are set to host a march in Tulsa, Oklahoma next week. Not to mention, GRAMMY Award winner John Legend is scheduled to deliver a special performance honoring the Black residents in the area and their ancestors.
“As a community, we will gather and remember the deadly days of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. We will share examples of how the community rose from those ashes to rebuild while also providing a message of unity and hope for the present and future generations of Black Tulsans, Oklahomans and Americans,” Armstrong added.
“John Legend is known for his poignant performances and his transformational statements on civil rights’ for Black Americans. 'Remember & Rise' is a once-in-a-lifetime event and John Legend’s participation ensures a global audience learns the history of what occurred here 100 years ago, on the streets of the most affluent African American community of the early Twentieth Century.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images