City of Tulsa
Researchers have also unearthed 21 unmarked adult graves. 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
City of Tulsa, Oklahoma announced On Monday, 17 adult-sized graves were discovered at an excavation site in Oak Lawn Cemetery, and another four, including two child-sized burials, were found on Tuesday.
The project is part of the city’s long-standing effort to obtain an accurate count of the people killed when white mobs ravaged Tulsa’s wealthy Greenwood neighborhood.
Estimates of some historians 300 black people were killed In the era of attacks and subsequent martial law. Nearly all are believed to have been buried in a series of cemeteries approved by the white authorities of the time. Under temporary restrictions, black family members of the deceased were reportedly forbidden from attending the burial as they were placed under armed guard away from the dead mother, father, son and daughter.
Historical accounts trace the spark of the riot to an incident between a young black man and a white woman in a downtown elevator. A man who was shining shoes was allegedly offended by a woman who was an elevator operator while he was in an elevator on his way to the bathroom.
The incident occurred shortly after a series of race riots swept through the county in 1919.
Scientists Manually Start Drilling
Scientists at the Tulsa site will begin digging by hand, using finer-grain tools, to clean the coffin. according to state Archaeologist Callie Stackelbeck. This will help researchers analyze the coffin’s construction style and hardware to determine when it was buried.
“This will be part of the process of distinguishing which ones to carry on with those individual excavations and which ones to actually leave alone, at least for now,” she added.
Researchers also found 19 unidentified bodies in 2021, which were later reburied.
“However, in some tests, we didn’t get very good results,” says Stackelbeck. update last week. Now the team is back at the same agency to “obtain additional samples and hopefully have better results,” she explained.
“Like last year, we strive to make every step of this process as respectful as possible.
A pastor or another member of the clergy will also be present when the remains are taken to the forensic laboratory.
Excavation is expected to be completed by November 18th.
https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1133461415/tulsa-race-massacre-unmarked-graves-discovered Tulsa Race Massacre Investigation Finds 21 Unmarked Graves : NPR