Mother Fletcher, at 107 years old, is a survivor of the Massacre.
Mother Fletcher’s neighborhood was looted and destroyed, which caused her family to frantically flee Tulsa in fear of their lives with nothing but the clothes on their back.
Due to the circumstances her family faced after the Massacre, Mother Fletcher did not have an opportunity to progress her education past the 4th grade. During WWII, Mother Fletcher worked as a ship welder. Following the war effort, she returned to Tulsa and as a result of her educational level, worked as a maid for White families her entire life, never receiving a living wage.
The Massacre rendered her family impoverished for the rest of their lives. Insecure in health and sense of safety in the immediate aftermath of the Massacre and caused her to have emotional and physical distress that continues to this day. Mother Fletcher continues to live in poverty, barely able to pay for everyday needs.
As Mother Fletcher testified in her October 16, 2020 deposition, she lived through and experienced flashbacks of seeing Black bodies in the street and her neighborhood burning, causing her to constantly relive the terror of May 31 and June 1, 1921.
The Massacre left her family without sufficient financial resources to provide the needed physical and emotional support to overcome the terror of the Massacre.
Throughout her life, her family has struggled financially, emotionally, and socially as a result of the Massacre and the continuing public nuisance, and they will continue to suffer until the nuisance is abated.
A Survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre Says Her Family Is Still Trying to Break Its Curse, 100 Years Later