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A World War I veteran is the first person to be identified from graves containing more than 100 victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
The Associated Press reports that Tulsa’s mayor, G.T. Bynum, announced lab officials used DNA to identify the remains of C.L. Daniel.
More than 120 graves were found during searches that began in 2020. Daniel is the first of those graves to be directly linked to the massacre. DNA from his brother’s descendants was tested. The victim was in his 20’s when he was killed. Forensic anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield said the vet’s cause of death could not be determined. Stubblefield stated, “We didn’t see any sign of gunshot wounds…” She continued, “… if the bullet doesn’t hit bone or isn’t retained within the body, how would we detect it?” The remains exhumed were found in simple wooden boxes. Daniel’s was too small for his body. Furthermore, the social scientist said, “They had to bend his legs somewhat at the knee in order to get him to fit. His head and his feet both touched either end of the casket.”
During the massacre in 1921, a white mob murdered roughly 300 Black people over the span of two days. The mayor stated, “This is one family who gets to give a member of their family that they lost a proper burial after not knowing where they were for over a century.” Brenda Nails-Alford, a descendant of massacre survivors, said Daniel’s identification brought her to tears. “This is an awesome day, a day that has taken forever to come to fruition,” Nails-Alford said.
Mayor Bynum also stated that the next search for victims will begin July 22. He declared, “We’ll continue the search until we find everybody that we can.”
The search for graves is one way to help bring closure to the horrific event, as it seems that the two remaining victims of the massacre may never receive legal justice. As previously reported by The Shade Room, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit brought by survivors Viola Fletcher, Lessie Benningfield Randle, and the late Hughes Van Ellis. It was a sad end to a lifelong fight for the elderly pair, who are both over 105 years old. Their lawyer stated this was their last chance and hoped the courts would get it right.
Contributions for this article made by Ken Miller
