THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT’S TULSA RACE MASSACRE REPORT AND A RARE ARTIFACT FROM THE DEVASTATING EPISODE’S AFTERMATH
By Ray Farina
The Justice Department’s recent report on the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 marks a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to uncover the full truth of one of the darkest chapters in American history. Delivered January 11 by former Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke in Tulsa’s Greenwood District, the findings underscore the systematic destruction of a thriving Black community and the failure of both local and federal authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The massacre, which began on the night of May 31, 1921, saw an estimated 10,000 white Tulsans launch a coordinated attack on Greenwood, also known as “Black Wall Street.” Triggered by an alleged assault of a white woman by a Black man – a common pretext for racial brutality at the time – the violence quickly escalated into arson, looting and murder. White residents, some deputized by Tulsa police, set fire to 35 blocks of homes and businesses, leaving thousands homeless and hundreds dead. Survivors faced further humiliation as they were placed in internment camps, only allowed to leave if vouched for by a white resident.
Despite early promises of aid, city officials obstructed rebuilding efforts and instead imposed restrictive zoning laws, ensuring that Greenwood would never fully recover. Legal avenues for justice, both in the 1920s and in subsequent decades, repeatedly failed, leaving survivors and their descendants without restitution.
This broadside announcing martial law during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, available in Heritage’s April 25-26 Americana & Political Signature® Auction, is believed to be the only example in private hands.
For the first time, the Justice Department has produced an official, meticulously sourced account of the massacre. The report, based on months of research, firsthand accounts and historical documents – including a previously undiscovered 1921 investigative report by the Bureau of Investigation – confirms what many historians and activists have long argued: The attack on Greenwood was not a spontaneous riot but a deliberate, organized assault.
Yet while much of the physical evidence of the massacre has been lost to time, one extraordinary artifact from the event survives: an original broadside titled “Declaration of Martial Law.” This rare document serves as a chilling reminder of the official response to the massacre. Rather than protecting Black residents from the white mobs, authorities declared martial law and disarmed Greenwood’s survivors – many of whom had attempted to defend their homes and businesses. This broadside, to be offered in Heritage’s April 25-26 Americana & Political Signature® Auction, is one of the few tangible pieces of evidence linking government action to the events that unfolded in Tulsa. It stands as a haunting historical record of how power was wielded in the immediate aftermath, reinforcing the Justice Department’s findings that law enforcement played a role not in preventing the violence, but in containing and controlling the Black survivors.
While the statute of limitations prevents prosecution today, the Justice Department’s report serves as an official acknowledgment of the government’s past inaction. Clarke emphasized that correcting the historical record is a crucial step toward justice, even if legal remedies remain out of reach. The discovery and sale of the “Declaration of Martial Law” broadside underscores the massacre’s lasting impact, offering collectors and historians alike a chance to preserve a physical remnant of this tragic event.
The Tulsa Race Massacre remains a stark reminder of America’s racial history and the challenges of accountability. While the pursuit of justice faces legal and temporal barriers, artifacts like the “Declaration of Martial Law” ensure that Greenwood’s legacy is not forgotten, providing future generations with evidence of what transpired and the lessons still to be learned.
RAY FARINA is Consignment Director of Americana at Heritage Auctions. He can be reached at RayF@HA.com or 214.409.1135.