Original Justice for living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre Act
This bill, titled the Original Justice for living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre Act, would authorize a one-time federal payment to living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (Greenwood) and, if applicable, to their estates. Each living survivor alive as of May 1, 2025 would receive $10,398,368 in compensatory damages and $10,398,368 in punitive damages, with payments made within 30 days after certification. Certification requires only a birth certificate to prove identity, with no additional information requested. The payments would come from the Judgment Fund and would fully satisfy all federal claims related to the harms described, after which recipients would be ineligible for any further federal compensation for those harms. The bill frames these payments as justice for a long history of federal inaction and recognizes the massacre as a distinct civil rights crime. It cites prior federal actions that provided reparations in other contexts and positions this as an act of “determinant of last resort” relief for living survivors and their families.
Key Points
- 1One-time federal relief: Provides a lump-sum payment to each living survivor (as of May 1, 2025) and, if deceased, to their estate, totaling $20,796,736 per eligible survivor (combining compensatory and punitive damages as described).
- 2Certification process: The payment is conditioned on identity proof via birth certificate; the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights will certify eligibility and may not require additional information.
- 3Funding and statutory mechanics: Payments are made from the Judgment Fund (a long-standing federal account for certain government-wide payments) and are in full satisfaction of federal claims related to the harms described.
- 4Scope of relief: Applies only to federal claims tied to the Tulsa/Greenwood Massacre; once paid, survivors are ineligible for any additional federal compensation for the described harms.
- 5Rationale and findings: The bill includes extensive findings about the massacre, federal inaction, and DOJ findings that characterize the events as systemic racial terrorism, using this as the basis for federal relief.