Original Justice for living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre Act

This bill would give direct payments to the last living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre, which destroyed a Black community known as “Black Wall Street,” killed hundreds, and left thousands homeless. The findings say the government failed to protect residents and that a recent Justice Department review called the massacre a civil rights crime unique in its scale and devastation.

Each living survivor as of May 1, 2025 would receive two payments: about $10.4 million for the harm they suffered and about $10.4 million to punish the wrongdoing (about $20.8 million total). The U.S. Treasury must pay within 30 days after the Civil Rights Division certifies the person, and the only proof required is a birth certificate. If a survivor dies before payment, it goes to their estate. Payments come from the Treasury’s Judgment Fund. Taking this payment settles all federal claims for these harms, and no extra federal compensation would be available for the same harms after that.

• Who is affected: Living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre as of May 1, 2025; if a survivor dies before payment, their estate receives it.
• What changes: Each survivor gets about $20.8 million total; accepting it settles all federal claims and blocks any additional federal payments for these harms.
• How it works: Survivor shows a birth certificate; DOJ Civil Rights certifies; Treasury pays within 30 days from the Judgment Fund.
• Why now: Congress cites the massacre’s extreme harm and a long lack of justice, supported by recent federal findings.