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Stacey Abrams Added As Keynote Speaker At Massacre Centennial 'Remember & Rise' Event At ONEOK Field

Stacey Abrams, in a photo provided by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission.

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission announced Wednesday morning that voting rights advocate, politician and author Stacey Abrams will be the keynote speaker at its May 31 "Remember & Rise" event at ONEOK Field.

“We are honored to welcome Stacey Abrams to Tulsa for the Centennial,” said Phil Armstrong, Project Director for the Centennial Commission, in a statement. “Her tireless efforts to create equity and access for Black Georgia voters has inspired the entire country to re- envision what inclusive structures, systems and communities should look like. We are excited to hear from Stacey in person and apply her tenacity and dedication to the reconciliation of Greenwood beyond this year.”

“The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is a story of remarkable loss and tragedy, but it also speaks to the resilience and strength of the Greenwood community," Abrams said in a statement. "This Centennial commemoration compels us to reflect on this tragic history, without which reconciliation is impossible. Its reverberations continue across communities today, where too many Black Americans face economic hardship, disproportionate police and gun violence, and assaults on their freedom to vote. I join in the recognition of what Tulsa's Black families endured 100 years ago, knowing that together, we can create a more equitable nation where systemic racism is conquered at last.”

Abrams served for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives and was the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor in 2018.

Abrams joins recording artist John Legend on the list of announced speakers and performers, which is expected to grow in days to come. Massacre survivors and their descendants are to be honored at the event, which is free, though tickets are required. More information is available at tulsa2021.org.

Chris joined Public Radio Tulsa as a news anchor and reporter in April 2020. He’s a graduate of Hunter College and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, both at the City University of New York.
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