Mother Randle, last known survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre, celebrates 112th birthday

Dozens of friends and family gathered Friday night at All Souls Unitarian Church to celebrate the 112th birthday of Lessie Benningfield Randle, the last known survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre. 

The night was part celebration, part commemoration for Randle’s century-long fight for justice. In 1921 she witnessed a white mob descend upon Black Wall Street and destroy 35 blocks while killing an unknown number of people. She was just 6 years old. 

“We cannot change what happened in 1921, but we can change how we honor those who suffered, those who survived and those who came before us,” Tulsa City Councilwoman Vanessa Hall-Harper said Friday night. 

As Randle entered the room, a few stood in respect as she took her place opposite her granddaughter, LaDonna Penny. Randle wore her signature wide-brimmed fedora and covered herself with a blanket. 

State Sen. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, and Tiffany Crutcher, executive director of the Terence Crutcher Foundation, also spoke about the importance of continuing to fight for justice as time continues to pass.

Crutcher said she is in the midst of trying to cement Greenwood as a national monument designation. Hall-Harper highlighted an ordinance city council passed in late October to protect human remains and cultural artifacts discovered in the historic district during construction or archaeological work. 

Randle’s fight gained momentum in 2021 when she testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee alongside fellow survivors Viola Ford Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis, known as Mother Fletcher and Uncle Redd. She joined them in a lawsuit seeking reparations for the massacre. 

Van Ellis died in 2023. Fletcher followed two years later at the age of 111.

Ike Howard, Fletcher’s grandson, traveled from Dallas to attend Randle’s birthday. He told The Eagle when all three were alive, they were a team that he felt a part of.

“My grandmother passed away almost a year ago this month, and she would have definitely wanted me to be here to help celebrate her friend,” Howard said. 

After City Councilor Lori Decter Wright led the room with a happy birthday song, Penny cut Randle’s cake. It was three tiers and decorated with real flowers resembling her hat. 

Although the night ended with a sweet treat, Howard said the fight still continues and the stories of people like Randle need to be told throughout the entire year— not just on birthdays or anniversaries. 

Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.

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