Latest news with #racialjustice
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Tulsa announces reparations for the 1921 ‘Black Wall Street' massacre
The city of Tulsa, home to one of the most horrifying racial-terror massacres in U.S. history and the people who tried to cover it up, has announced a $105 million reparations package that will put dollars and actions toward redress. 'For 104 years, the Tulsa Race Massacre has been a stain on our city's history,' Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said in a speech Sunday announcing the reparations package, which will pump millions into the restoration of families and communities that had their trajectories derailed by the 1921 attack.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Affirmative Action Was Just The Start—Now Racial Progress Is Reversing
The end of affirmative action marked a turning point—but the deeper erosion of racial equity in higher education is just beginning. Among the many threats facing higher education today, the steep declines in Black student enrollment caused by the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to eliminate race-conscious affirmative action continue to be a challenge most competitive universities are struggling to overcome. The alarming decline in Black student enrollment these last two years coupled with the dismantling of support programs, open a veil to what's ahead: a devastating setback in economic mobility and progress for Black communities. The effects of this decision are already being felt. In Fall 2025, Black student enrollment dropped from 9% to 3% at Boston University, 15% to 5% at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 7% to 3% at Tufts University, and the trend is similar at most top schools around our nation. Diverse perspectives in classrooms and boardrooms aren't just a moral imperative—they are essential for building a workforce prepared to address the rapid evolution and challenges of a global society. Education is a tool many must use to overcome systemic barriers and create generational prosperity for themselves, their families, and their communities. Education drives social, career, and economic mobility. These significant enrollment declines not only jeopardize the future of Black families but also diminish the diversity of our workforce. The U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee states in a 2022 report that during most of the past 50 years, Black Americans have faced unemployment rates that would be considered recessionary if they applied to the whole population. The SCOTUS ruling threatens to deepen this inequity. The progress made over the past 60 years has suffered a damaging setback, and this is only year one with Fall 2025 quickly approaching. But with mounting pressure from multiple directions, will elite universities rise to the moment or allow progress to slip away?
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tulsa mayor announces $105 million trust to address impact of 1921 massacre
(Reuters) - The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday announced more than a $100 million trust aimed at repairing and addressing the "systemic impacts" of the 1921 massacre that targeted African American homes and businesses. The announcement was made on the 104th anniversary of the massacre, which started on May 31, 1921 and ended the following day, leaving as many as 300 dead. "This is a critical step to help to unify Tulsans and heal the wounds that for so long prevented generations of our neighbors from being able to recover from the race massacre," Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said. The trust, which is named after the city's Greenwood District, where the massacre took place, will be created with the goal of securing $105 million in assets. It aims to secure those funds by the 105th anniversary of the attack on June 1, 2026. Assets could include property transferred to the Trust, philanthropic funding and public funding, according to a statement from the city. The focus areas for the trust include a $24 million housing fund to benefit residents of Greenwood and North Tulsa, and a $60 million cultural preservation fund aimed at improving buildings, among other things. Another focus will be a $21 million legacy fund for the development of trust-owned land and acquisition of land for the benefit of survivors and descendants of the massacre. The first year of operation will focus on planning, the mayor said, adding initial staff will be hired for fundraising efforts. "The Greenwood Trust is really a bridge that connects what we as a community can bring to the table and what the community needs," Nichols said in a statement. "As we seek to make this framework a reality, I am eager to work alongside my fellow Tulsans and partners across the country to create a fundamental shift in how we further establish generational wealth, housing opportunities, and repair for so many Tulsans." The Biden administration's U.S. Department of Justice in January said while there are credible reports that law enforcement was involved in the attack, it had no avenue to prosecute the crimes that occurred, citing the expiration of relevant statutes of limitations and the youngest potential defendants being more than 115 years old. (This story has been refiled to add a missing word in paragraph 1)
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Tulsa mayor announces $105 million trust to address impact of 1921 massacre
June 1 (Reuters) - The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday announced more than a $100 million trust aimed at repairing and addressing the "systemic impacts" of the 1921 massacre that targeted African American homes and businesses. The announcement was made on the 104th anniversary of the massacre, which started on May 31, 1921 and ended the following day, leaving as many as 300 dead. "This is a critical step to help to unify Tulsans and heal the wounds that for so long prevented generations of our neighbors from being able to recover from the race massacre," Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said. The trust, which is named after the city's Greenwood District, where the massacre took place, will be created with the goal of securing $105 million in assets. It aims to secure those funds by the 105th anniversary of the attack on June 1, 2026. Assets could include property transferred to the Trust, philanthropic funding and public funding, according to a statement from the city. The focus areas for the trust include a $24 million housing fund to benefit residents of Greenwood and North Tulsa, and a $60 million cultural preservation fund aimed at improving buildings, among other things. Another focus will be a $21 million legacy fund for the development of trust-owned land and acquisition of land for the benefit of survivors and descendants of the massacre. The first year of operation will focus on planning, the mayor said, adding initial staff will be hired for fundraising efforts. "The Greenwood Trust is really a bridge that connects what we as a community can bring to the table and what the community needs," Nichols said in a statement. "As we seek to make this framework a reality, I am eager to work alongside my fellow Tulsans and partners across the country to create a fundamental shift in how we further establish generational wealth, housing opportunities, and repair for so many Tulsans." The Biden administration's U.S. Department of Justice in January said while there are credible reports that law enforcement was involved in the attack, it had no avenue to prosecute the crimes that occurred, citing the expiration of relevant statutes of limitations and the youngest potential defendants being more than 115 years old.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Tulsa's new Black mayor proposes $100M trust to 'repair' impact of 1921 Race Massacre
TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa's new mayor on Sunday proposed a $100 million private trust as part of a reparations plan to give descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre scholarships and housing help in a city-backed bid to make amends for one of the worst racial attacks in U.S. history.
