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United States: a century after the Tulsa massacre, Joe Biden delivers a symbolic speech

In 1921, the black community of Tulsa (Oklahoma) in the United States was massacred by a horde of whites. The killing still marks the spirits a century later, when Joe Biden gave a tribute speech on Tuesday, June 1.

On May 31 and June 1, 1921, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, an unspeakable massacre took place. In what was called “Black Wall Street”, home to the richest black community in the United States, a mob of white residents lashed out against the black population , supported by the city authorities. We will have to wait for the intervention of the National Guard to put an end to it. It is a very dark page in American history. “I remember that with us, it is something that we should not talk about, it is unacceptable” , details a man. But this massacre went unreported for almost a century.

“I still see the black bodies shot in the street”

“I will never forget the violence of this white horde when we fled our homes. I still see the black bodies shot down in the street. I still smell the smoke, I still see the fires, I still hear the planes over- above, “ survivor Viola Fletcher testified before Congress in Washington. Planes dropped incendiary bombs, which was the first bombardment on American soil. 300 people died and tens of thousands became homeless. “We were left with nothing, like refugees in our own country,” laments Hughes Van Ellis, 100, also a survivor.“Joe Biden has just delivered an extremely moving speech. This recognition, extremely late, is very symbolic. He did say that it was not riots, but a massacre, one of the worst in our history” , detailed Loïc de la Mornais, correspondent for France Télévisions.

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