Biden laments ‘deep roots of racial terror’ in US on Tulsa massacre anniversary

President Biden called on Americans to “reflect on the deep roots of racial terror in our Nation” and “recommit to the work of rooting out systemic racism” in a proclamation Monday marking the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre.

The president also urged Americans to “commemorate the tremendous loss of life and security that occurred over those 2 days in 1921, to celebrate the bravery and resilience of those who survived and sought to rebuild their lives again, and commit together to eradicate systemic racism and help to rebuild communities and lives that have been destroyed by it.” The Oklahoma massacre, which began on May 31, 1921, and continued the following day, was triggered by the arrest of a black shoeshiner for the alleged assault of a 17-year-old white female elevator operator. White rioters, some of whom used private aircraft to carry out their assaults, leveled about three dozen blocks of Tulsa’s Greenwood district, known as “Black Wall Street” due to the local African American community’s prosperity.