Speakers urge Tulsa council to fund $1 million to continue mass-graves investigation during budget hearing

More than a dozen residents, descendants and community leaders addressed the Tulsa City Council during a public hearing on the proposed City of Tulsa Fiscal Year 2026 budget, urging the council to include $1,000,000 to continue an investigation of mass graves tied to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Donald Rose Jr., director of operations for the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce and a commissioner on the Greater Tulsa African American Affairs Commission, told the council the city has a moral obligation to “identify every victim, notify every family, and to restore the dignity that was denied for over a century.” He singled out the documented case of C.L. Daniel, a World War I veteran whose remains were identified in recent work, as evidence the effort has produced results.

The push for funding drew speakers from community organizations and institutions tied to Greenwood history. Kuma Roberts, president of the Black Wall Street Chamber, called the Greenwood…