At 111, “Mother Fletcher” carries the memory of Black Wall Street and a call for truth.
Viola Ford Fletcher, known affectionately as “Mother Fletcher,” is the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Born in 1914, she was only seven years old when one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history destroyed her community. Greenwood, the thriving Black neighborhood once celebrated as “Black Wall Street”. Hundreds were killed, thousands forced to flee, and an entire generation’s progress was wiped away overnight.
Fletcher’s family escaped with their lives but lost their home, safety, and sense of belonging. For decades, her story—and the stories of other survivors—was silenced in history books. Now, more than a century later, Fletcher has made it her mission to ensure the truth is never forgotten.
In 2021, at the age of 107, she testified before the U.S. Congress, vividly recounting the massacre and demanding reparations for survivors and their descendants. In 2023, she released her memoir, Don’t Let Them Bury My Story, turning her personal pain into a public testimony of resilience.
At 111 years old, Mother Fletcher remains a symbol of memory, survival, and the fight for justice—a living witness to a past America cannot afford to bury.
