Bartlesville Museum Honors Tulsa Race Massacre Survivor

The Bartlesville Area History Museum dedicated a commemorative plaque Tuesday honoring Viola Ford Fletcher, a former Bartlesville resident and the oldest known survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Mayor Jim Curd and Fletcher's grandson, Ike Howard, unveiled the plaque during a ceremony at the museum. "She led a remarkable life of resilience, dignity and unwavering strength," Curd said. "We're proud to call her our own."

Fletcher was born May 10, 1914, and survived the massacre at age 7. She testified before Congress in 2021 and published her memoir, "Don't Let Them Bury My Story," in 2023. She died Nov. 24 in Tulsa and is buried at White Rose Cemetery in Bartlesville.

Raymond Doswell, executive director of Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center, spoke about Fletcher's documentation of her life beyond the massacre. "Not just what happened in the massacre, but what her life was like afterwards," Doswell said. "Those are important lessons to learn."

The plaque dedication coincides with the museum's "1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Traveling Exhibit," on display through May 29. The exhibit, on loan from the Tulsa History Museum, features photographs, documents and firsthand accounts of the Greenwood District's destruction and recovery.

The museum is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday on the fifth floor of City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave. Call 918-338-4290 or email [email protected] for information.