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One of the last three living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre just turned 109.
On Wednesday (May 10), Viola "Mother" Fletcher celebrated her 109th birthday amid a court case regarding reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, KTUL reports.
Fletcher was just seven years old when Tulsa's then-thriving Greenwood District, known by many as Black Wall Street, was destroyed by a white mob during a massacre that left an estimated 300 Black people dead and businesses and homes burned to the ground. Her family survived the attack by hiding under a pile of clothes in their home.
Although Fletcher, her mother, and three siblings, survived, they were forced to flee Tulsa and start a new life.
For decades, the massacre was left out of history books, school curricula, and public attention until activists' efforts proved successful. The court case is an opportunity for the last, living survivors to see justice.
Fletcher's 109th birthday makes her the oldest of the living.
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