Residents and descendants urge Tulsa City Council to fund mass-graves investigation; $1 million request part of FY2026 budget public hearing

Dozens of Tulsa residents and community leaders told the City Council during a June 3 public hearing that the city should provide $1,000,000 requested by Mayor Monroe Nichols to continue an investigation into mass graves tied to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The public hearing on the proposed City of Tulsa fiscal year 2026 budget drew 13 speakers on the topic. 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 chamber's full and unwavering support for the for mayor Nichols' proposal to allocate $1,000,000 to continue the mass graves inspect investigation." He noted that one identified remain was a World War I veteran, C.L. Daniel.

Why it matters: speakers said the investigation is about identification, dignity and closure for descendants and survivors’ families. Many framed the work as a moral obligation, saying the city has a responsibility to identify victims, notify families and provide proper burials.

Kuma Roberts, president of the Black Wall Street Chamber, described the Greenwood Trust reparations proposal and said the funding request was part of a broader…