Tulsa Massacre Graves.Photo: City of Tulsa via AP
Excavators have found 24 new graves that could be linked to the 1921Tulsa Race Massacre, officials for the Oklahoma cityannounced Wednesdayin a statement.
The excavation for mass graves began in July 2020, nearly a century after the massacre.
The newly found coffins and the remains will be examined to see if they are victims of the massacre.
“This is going to part of our process of discriminating which ones we’re going to proceed with in terms of exhuming those individuals and which ones we’re actually going to leave in place,” Oklahoma State Archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said in a video statement,according to the Associated Press.
The Tulsa Race Massacre was one of the deadliest instances of racist violence in American history.
“It really is a bloody, shameful stain on American history,” MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee previously toldPEOPLE. “Some people have struggled to recoup what was stolen from them, and others have inherited pain and trauma from the massacre that continues to bear down on them today.”
Aftermath of the Tulsa Race Massacre, June 1, 1921.Courtesy of University of Tulsa - McFarlin Library Special Collections
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For years, the massacre that took place from May 31 to June 1, 1921, was left out of history books and school curriculums. It was underplayed, inaccurately reported or not reported on at all. It began to disappear from libraries and conversations about American history altogether. But one century later, historians, writers, political leaders and community activists finally succeeded in bringing forth discussions that focus on the event, what led up to it and how it’s still impacting generations of Americans to this day.
In recent years, there’s been an effort to increase awareness and education about the event and to remember those who were murdered during the massacre.
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source: people.com
