109-year-old Viola Fletcher recently became the world’s oldest author and the oldest remaining survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
According to The Black Wall Street Times, her memoir, “Don’t Let Them Bury My Story,” was launched in early June at Fulton Street Books & Coffee. Aside from her experience, the book also discusses her feelings about the tragic event.
Ms. Fletcher, also known as “Mother Fletcher,” leads readers through her experience as a fearful 7-year-old who was awakened in the middle of the night and forced to flee for her life, leaving behind a smoldering Greenwood, according to Market Watch.
The memoir also covers her experience as a 107-year-old who had to testify before Congress a century later in hopes of finding justice for the victims and families of the unfortunate incident.
“I will never forget the violence of the white mob when we left our home. I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned… I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot, ” she said.
Mother Fletcher was joined at the book launch by her grandson, Ike Howard; her 102-year-old younger brother, Hughes Van Ellis, who is also a survivor of the slaughter and hopes to write a book soon; and her publisher, Mocha Ochoa.
Howard, who is also the co-author and President of the Viola Ford Fletcher Foundation, stated, “This book is about different things that happened to our family and the generational trauma that was passed down because of the Race Massacre.” He also mentioned that Viola worked as a welder in a shipyard during WWII, and that he had witnessed his grandmother having nightmares and had always been curious about what had happened.
He eventually encouraged her to share her tale with him and the rest of the world, which she did as he grew older, allowing him to comprehend what had previously kept her from expressing it.
Her grandson mentioned that his grandma stayed to herself frequently because she had gotten threats that if she ever revealed anything, she and her entire family would be slaughtered. She had waited to disclose the story until now in order to protect her grandchild.
According to Howard, his grandmother “wants accountability. She wants justice. She wants people to know the history so that it doesn’t repeat itself.”
Her publisher Mocha Ochoa, also said, “Some of us use our gifts or we use our stories to create a better world.”
Earlier in May, Fletcher attended a court hearing in the ongoing trial of a lawsuit seeking reparations for victims of the tragedy. As a result, she delayed the publishing of her book to allow her time to incorporate her thoughts on the trial into the book, according to Tulsa World.
The family realized that telling 109 years’ worth of stories was difficult. Howard told 2 News Oklahoma that his grandmother told him something fresh every day. She would give him new facts every time they went for a drive.
Bobby Eaton, a lifelong Tulsan who attended the Launch, stated, “I’m most inspired by Mother Fletcher’s and Uncle Red’s legacy and the information that they’re giving us, about their lives, not just the massacre, but their lives.”
Viola Fletcher and her brother visited Ghana in 2021 and met with President Nana Akufo-Addo. According to The Washington Post, she was named queen mother and given various Ghanaian names, including Naa Lamiley, which means “the first female child in a family,” and Naa Yaoteley, which means “someone who is strong.”