The Tulsa Massacre and the Destruction of Black Wall Street | The Case for Reparations and H.R. 40

Their Blood Cries Out: The Tulsa Massacre and H.R. 40 kicks off a series of national forums focused on the massacre and the urgency of H.R. 40, a federal bill that would establish a commission to examine the institution and legacy of slavery and make recommendations for reparations to Congress.

This builds on the unprecedented momentum behind the reparations movement: In 2019, Congress held a historic forum on Shelia Jackson Lee’s H.R. 40 legislation, which has seen a dramatic surge in support. At the local level, communities across the US have pursued reparations for African Americans, with successful reparations programs in cities like Chicago and Rosewood, Florida, and legislative success in Evanston, Illinois.

The forum also falls on the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, when mobs of white residents stormed Tulsa’s affluent Greenwood district, burning down the enclave known as “Black Wall Street” and leaving hundreds of black people dead. Although it has been called one of the worst incidents of racial violence in US history, no one was ever charged with a crime for the violence or compensated for the loss of life and economic devastation.

Join scholars, activists and other leaders as we address the current events and history that compels reparations and the passage of Congressional Bill H.R. 40 for Black communities impacted by America's legacy of slavery and racism.

featured guests include:

Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, Founder, Terence Crutcher Foundation

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, lead sponsor of H.R. 40

Nicole Austin-Hillery, Executive Director of the US Program, Human Rights Watch

Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Director of the Equal Justice Initiative

Montague Simmons, Movement for Black Lives Reparations Policy Table

Kamm Howard, National Co-Chairperson, National Coalition for Reparations for African Americans (NCOBRA)

Nkechi Taifa, Esq., Civil Rights/Human Rights Attorney

Jasiri X, Hip-hop artist/activist