Viola Ford Fletcher — known to the world as Mother Fletcher is the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and one of the most powerful living witnesses to America’s suppressed history. Born in 1914, she was only seven years old when mobs burned the prosperous Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, destroying her family’s home, livelihood, and sense of safety in a single night. For nearly a century she carried those memories quietly, but with unshakable clarity the screams, the smoke, the terror in the streets, the planes overhead. When she finally testified before Congress at age 107, her words cut through the nation’s conscience and reignited a global demand for justice and reparations.
In the last decade of her life, Mother Fletcher transformed from a hidden survivor into an international voice for truth, resilience, and historical accountability. She became an author, a world traveler, and a moral force whose presence reminded the world that the trauma inflicted on Black communities is not ancient history, it lives in the memories of elders still waiting to be made whole. Her life represents more than survival; it is a call to action. Through her testimony and her unwavering spirit, she urges this country to face what happened in Tulsa and to honor the thousands whose lives and generational wealth were stolen. Viola Ford Fletcher’s story endures as a testament to the strength of Black America and the urgency of remembering what others tried to bury.
