Hughes Van Ellis, one of the last known survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921, has died. He was 102.
Ellis, aka “Uncle Redd,” and his older sister, his 109-year-old sister, Viola Fletcher, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 108, were the remaining survivors of one of the most infamous instances of mass racial violence perpetrated by barbaric White mobs in American history.
According to CNN, Ellis was just months old when he and his 7-year-old sister, Fletcher, fled in a panic with their family when the dastardly and murderous White savages descended on the thriving Greenwood District of Tulsa, also known as “Black Wall Street.” Based solely on the erroneous and oft-regurgitated accusation that a White woman was raped by a Black man or men, the White throngs slaughtered over 300 African Americans, set fire to countless thriving Black businesses and bombed the Greenwood District from private planes.
Ellis and three survivors have been fighting for reparations for years for what the city of Tulsa admitted was the mass murder of the Black residents. However, their case was thrown out of court by a Tulsa judge. The Oklahoma Supreme Court reportedly indicated they will consider the case, though no date has been set yet.
While he continued on his yearslong wait for compensation for his grievances, Ellis passed away quietly in Denver.
“[Ellis] died waiting on justice,” Ike Howard, his great-nephew, explained to CNN.
Tulsa officials do not believe they should be held liable for the assortment of historical atrocities perpetrated against Black denizens who were famously autonomous and self-sufficient before Greenwood’s entire district was torched.
Ellis and his sister recalled the Tulsa Race Massacre every day of their long lives, even though it happened more than 100 years ago.
“It’s been a long time ago, but it is something you can’t forget,” Fletcher said. “You think about it every day and every night.”
Despite the legal setbacks, Ellis inspired those around him with his steadfastness in the face of elusive justice.
“In the midst of his death, there remains an undying sense of right and wrong. Mr. Ellis was assured we would remain steadfast and we repeated to him, his own words, ‘We Are One’ and we lastly expressed our love,” the family said in a statement obtained by CNN.
“We celebrate the rare life of Mr. Hughes Van Ellis who inspires us still!” the family added.
