Tulsa Approves $1 Million to Continue 1921 Mass Graves Probe

TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa has officially earmarked $1 million in its new fiscal budget to continue investigating mass graves linked to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, ensuring that the search for truth and accountability continues into the next year.

The $1.12 billion FY 2025–26 budget was approved by the Tulsa City Council and backed by Mayor Monroe Nichols. It includes funding for excavation, DNA analysis, and identification of remains at Oaklawn Cemetery and other possible burial sites. The effort continues work to uncover and honor victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Mayor Nichols confirmed that excavation crews will return to Oaklawn Cemetery to investigate an estimated 28 to 30 additional graves suspected to lie in the cemetery’s southwest corner. The continuation of this work is contingent on the approved budget, now set to take effect July 1.

Public backing for the funding was strong. Earlier this month, over 15 Tulsans urged officials to fund the graves probe and continue the push for justice.

“This is about restoring dignity to lives lost and voices silenced,” said one speaker, reflecting the community’s growing insistence on transparency and historical reckoning.

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Tulsa Budget Funds 1921 Mass Graves Probe, Affirms Repair Commitment

Mayor Nichols recently unveiled a broader $105 million reparations initiative that includes this budget commitment. The broader package includes housing aid, but the graves probe remains central to Tulsa’s reckoning with its past.

Since 2020, experts have unearthed dozens of unmarked Tulsa graves likely holding victims of the 1921 Race Massacre. The new funding ensures this work will not stall.

“We owe it to the descendants, to our city, and to history to keep going,” Nichols said at a recent press conference.

As the centennial of the massacre passes into the rearview, Tulsa continues to grapple with its legacy. But with this budget, city leaders and citizens alike are making clear that silence and forgetfulness are no longer options.