TULSA, Okla. — Two survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre are getting the trip of a lifetime.
Viola Ford Fletcher, 107, and her brother Hughes Van Ellis, 100, leave for Africa in just a few days.
The two centenarians are meeting with Ghana’s president and numerous Ghanaian tribal chiefs. They will also have the names of their descendants on a wall at the Diaspora Africa Forum Embassy. This culminates in a traditional ceremony where Mother Fletcher will be named as “Queen Mother” and Van Ellis will be honored with a chieftaincy.
Those sponsoring the trip are calling it, “Coming Home: A Journey of a Lifetime.”
“Folks always want to get home and she’s thought about it since she was a little girl. She’s super excited, they’re both excited and they could not be going with more wonderful people,” Rep. Regina Goodwin said.
The trip is being made possible by Michael and Eric Thompson, founders of “Our Black Truth Social Media." The Thompsons met the two at a reception during a Tulsa Race Massacre centennial commemoration. Mother Fletcher mentioned it was her life-long dream to visit Africa. That sparked the creation of this event and helping to make her dream come true.
Mother Fletcher and Van Ellis will be leaving for Ghana on Aug. 13 and will be returning on Aug. 21.
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