Lessie Randle Turns 112, Last Known Massacre Survivor
Lessie Benningfield Randle, the last known survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, celebrated her 112th birthday with dozens of friends and family.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in African-American
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. Randle was 6 years old when a white mob destroyed 35 blocks of Black Wall Street in 1921.
Why it matters
Randle's longevity places a living witness to the massacre within reach of public memory, even as her peers have died. Her testimony and her participation in a reparations lawsuit keep the event's legal and historical questions active.
Randle's age of 112 makes her the last known living survivor of the 1921 destruction, which razed 35 blocks of the Greenwood district. The extraction does not indicate how many people were killed, and that count remains outside the facts reported here.
The players
Lessie Benningfield Randle
Randle is a survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre who has testified before Congress and joined a reparations lawsuit over the destruction.
Viola Ford Fletcher
Fletcher was another survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre who died in November 2025 at age 111.
The details
Randle entered the room and took her place opposite her granddaughter, LaDonna Penny, while Councilor Lori-Decter Wright led the room in a happy birthday song. Penny cut the three-tier cake, which was decorated with real flowers, and Ike Howard traveled from Dallas to attend.
Timeline
1921: A white mob destroys 35 blocks of Black Wall Street in Tulsa.
2021: Randle testifies before the House Judiciary Subcommittee and joins a reparations lawsuit.
Late October 2025: The Tulsa City Council passes an ordinance protecting human remains and cultural artifacts in the historic district.
November 2025: Viola Ford Fletcher dies at age 111.
Friday, November 7, 2026: Randle's 112th birthday is celebrated at All Souls Unitarian Church.
Historical Thread
Randle's 112th birthday falls within the ongoing reparations litigation and national monument effort tied to the 1921 destruction of Greenwood. Her survival keeps that historical record tied to a living eyewitness as the surviving witnesses die.
For Tulsa residents, the ordinance protecting human remains and cultural artifacts in the historic district governs what can be disturbed in Greenwood. Residents interested in the history can attend public observances tied to the massacre's anniversary.
The takeaway
Randle's life spans the period from the 1921 destruction to the present, and her testimony is one of the few direct links to that event. Readers can follow how Tulsa handles the historic district's remains and the continuing reparations push.
Further reading
Explore more African-American history coverage to read further on the community that was destroyed in Tulsa.
