An event to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre was suddenly canceled after the three surviving victims demanded $1 million to appear and $50 million donated to a reparations fund.
Singer John Legend was to host the event with the keynote address given by Georgia race activist Stacey Abrams. Other events associated with the commemoration will proceed as scheduled and Joe Biden will be in Tulsa on Tuesday.
Attorneys representing the survivors had originally agreed to a $100,000 appearance fee for each survivor and $2 million in reparations. Then, suddenly, attorneys upped the appearance fee to $1 million and seed money for the reparations commission demand to $50 million.
State Sen. Kevin Matthews, who chairs the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, said, “We raised the money and we were excited the survivors were going to accept these gifts,” Matthews said Friday. “Unfortunately, on Sunday they reached out and increased the amount of the $100,000-per-survivor gifts to $1 million, and instead of $2 million, they asked for $50 million – $50 million – in seed money. We could not respond to those demands.”- READ MORE
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