A series of community conversations aimed at informing city council on possible action past its formal apology for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre kicked off last night.
According to program manager Greg Robinson, the Beyond Apology series is geared toward informing city council about possible action beyond its formal apology for its role in the massacre. Robinson said the events are geared toward informing and educating citizens who want to provide feedback, and then collecting the feedback at the end.
"The city council has stated that they only want to take action that comes directly from community, and so we hope that this is a space that will give them that type of perspective," said Robinson.
City councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper, who represents Greenwood, said she was happy the conversations are led by the community, not by the city.
At last night's event at the 36th Street North Event Center, residents attended four breakout sessions to learn more about the lasting impact of the massacre. Robinson hosted a session on the push in the early 2000s to form a commission to study the race massacre.
At another breakout session on Tulsa’s current racial inequality, attendees heard about inequities in areas like transportation, which some pointed out could affect voting rates among Black Tulsans.
Mattece Mason said this could be included in a possible reparations package, especially with the rate of car-free homes among Black Tulsans.
"You know, you have to mandate that people in this area will have access to transportation at higher frequencies," Mason said. "You know, like, you go to New York and nobody has a car, and they can get where they need to go, whether it's a high-fashion job, or you know, a menial job."
Following the breakout sessions, attendees gave written feedback to the city.
The next event will be hosted tomorrow at Tulsa Community College Southeast Campus.
