TULSA, Okla. — As the United Nations moves to formally recognize the transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity and advance reparatory justice, the United States has broken with much of the world by voting against a recent resolution calling for accountability. Now Tulsa is stepping forward to host the Tulsa Reparations Summit aimed at turning generations of acknowledgment into measurable repair.
Tulsa Reparations Summit
Set for April 24–26, 2026, at Langston University’s Tulsa Campus in the historic Greenwood District, the Tulsa Reparations Summit will bring together national leaders, policy experts, and community advocates working to advance real pathways toward justice under the theme, “From Apology to Repair.”
The moment is not symbolic. It is a test of whether local and national leaders are prepared to act where federal policy has stalled.
“This moment requires more than acknowledgment. It requires action,” said Kristi Williams, founder of Black History Saturdays and chair of Tulsa’s Beyond Apology Reparations Commission. “We are bringing together people who are building real solutions and helping communities understand what repair looks like in practice.”
From global pressure to local action
The summit arrives at a critical inflection point.
In recent weeks, a majority of United Nations member states supported a resolution acknowledging the enduring harms of slavery and urging reparatory justice, reflecting growing international consensus. The United States, however, was among a small group of nations that opposed the measure, underscoring a widening divide between global momentum and U.S. federal resistance.
While the resolution is nonbinding, its implications are clear: the global conversation has shifted from whether reparations are justified to how they should be implemented.
Organizers say Tulsa’s summit is designed to meet that moment, connecting international urgency with local and national strategy.
Centering Greenwood’s legacy
Holding the summit in Greenwood, once dubbed the Black Wall Street, grounds the conversation in lived history.
The district remains a symbol of Black economic excellence and the devastating consequences of racial violence following the Tulsa Race Massacre, when a white mob destroyed a thriving Black community and erased generations of wealth.
For scholars like Karlos Hill, that history is not separate from today’s policy debates; it is the foundation of them.
Reparations, organizers argue, is not about revisiting the past for its own sake. It is about addressing how that past continues to shape disparities in housing, education, and wealth today.
A national coalition shaping the path forward
The summit will convene a cross-section of leaders working at the intersection of policy, research, and advocacy.
Robin Rue Simmons led the nation’s first municipally funded reparations initiative. She will share lessons from Evanston’s housing-based model, now studied by cities across the country.
Joy DeGruy will bring her expertise on intergenerational trauma, offering insight into the long-term psychological and cultural impacts of slavery and systemic oppression.
Economist Julianne Malveaux and reparations advocate Kamm Howard will provide perspective on economic justice and federal pathways for repair.
Political strategist Tezlyn Figaro and policy strategist Keenan Keller are expected to focus on power-building and legislative strategy—key components in translating advocacy into law.
The summit will also examine the role of media in shaping public understanding. DeMarco Morgan will serve as emcee, while Nehemiah D. Frank will contribute to conversations on narrative control and the importance of Black-owned media in documenting and advancing the reparations movement.
Beyond symbolism
Through plenary sessions, breakout discussions, and strategy-driven workshops, participants will engage key areas. These include housing equity, education access, economic justice, and narrative change.
Organizers emphasize that the summit is designed to produce outcomes, not just dialogue.
“This is about ensuring that the legacy of Greenwood is not only remembered, but that it informs the future,” Williams said. “We are creating space for people to leave here with real strategies to move this work forward.”
As Tulsa once again becomes a focal point in the global conversation on racial justice, the stakes are increasingly clear.
The question is no longer whether repair is owed. The question is whether the U.S. will stand apart or finally meet the moment.
