LOCAL & STATE
Kimberly Marsh
Illustration, The Oklahoma Eagle
Commissioners Request Equitable Policy Adoption, Funding
Tulsa’s Black leaders have elevated their efforts to repair the harm caused by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, calling upon City officials to use existing city funds designated for housing initiatives to respond to the damage done and help Tulsans restore generational wealth.
The Beyond Apology Commission (BAC) requested that the Tulsa city administration and City Council allocate $24.9 million to housing programs and support for descendants and their families, as well as land trusts and other assistance to Black Tulsans who have been harmed by city actions or policies from 1921-2020. The BAC was created by former Mayor G. T. Bynum shortly before leaving office and is supported by Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols.
The BAC’s argument for restorative actions has been strengthened by the recent U. S. Department of Justice’s report on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre that further legitimized Tulsans’ claims by officially acknowledging a “coordinated, military-style attack” took place on Black Wall Street on June 1, 1921. The DOJ provided a federal validation of the systemic harm inflicted upon Tulsa’s Black residents that opens new opportunities to engage government resources and solicit action. The Commissioners emphasized the need to establish perpetual sources of funding to address the estimated economic and housing losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In his executive order creating the BAC, Bynum acknowledged harm beyond just survivors and descendants, including Black north Tulsans and the lasting impacts which are evident in the City’s Equality Indicators Report. Continued racially based disparities persist between north Tulsa residents and those in other parts of the city across various economic and social outcomes.
The BAC was formed to address these systemic inequalities by advancing economic mobility, prosperity, and intergenerational wealth for survivors, their descendants, and north Tulsa residents. Housing is the fourth of seven priorities included in the Beyond Apology Report, but Mayor Nichols directed the Commission to start with housing resources to potentially use existing resources already earmarked for the overall city housing initiative. The request is designed to target programs that are already within the city’s focus and jurisdiction.
During the news conference to announce the recommendations, Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper said every Black community in this country that has suffered racial terror, racism, and oppression has the right to organize and petition for local reparations, and every legislator has the obligation to push for policies that direct resources to those harmed.
“That is what I am doing today. That is the commitment I made to my community, to push for local repair. This is why Beyond Apology is so important,” Hall-Harper said. She noted that the efforts are community-led and community-driven for the 1921 Race Massacre survivors, their descendants and all Black residents of Tulsa who have been harmed by systemic racism, including redlining and the generational consequences of the massacre.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” she said.
Following the invocation to the meeting, Vernon A.M.E. member Chief Egunwale Amusan shared his perspective.
“This moment is not just about policy,” he said. “It’s about people. It’s about the survivors, the descendants and the north Tulsa community who have fought long for justice and the repair that they deserve. It’s about honoring the past while foregoing a future where equity and opportunity are not just words but our reality.
Shifting from Reparations Debate to Equitable Policy
“Few people in Tulsa can’t now say what they could have said five to 10 years ago, which is, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know that happened. That just isn’t the case anymore. People right now are like, ‘Yeah, we’ve told you 1,000 times.’ This is not new information. It’s time for local officials to do their work.”
Commissioner Greg Robinson
Greg Robinson, a former candidate for Tulsa mayor and member of the Beyond Apology Commission, said the acknowledgement of harm has been sufficiently documented and now it is time to act. The recent commission work, as well as the Justice Department report, efforts of Justice for Greenwood and the Project Greenwood initiative, are shifting public and government perspectives on reparations.
“We are asking them to prioritize and to really gear funding toward Black home ownership, toward land restoration, toward anti-displacement measures, and to be very explicit about that,” Robinson said in an interview with The Oklahoma Eagle. “That is equitable policy. That’s not reparations.”
Long-term, Ongoing Funds
Besides requesting housing funds, the BAC is also calling for a program to collect one-fifth of one percent of the annual general fund revenues. This would be similar to the City of Tulsa Economic Stabilization Reserve Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund. The reserve is projected to have a balance of approximately $16.9 million set aside by the end of the fiscal year to stabilize the city’s finances during economic downturns or unexpected revenue shortfalls, according to the fiscal year 2025 budget report. It was established to offset future general fund reductions resulting from negative economic events.
City of Tulsa Dedicated Housing Funds
The City of Tulsa has already earmarked $75 million from the 2023 voter-approved Improve Our Tulsa general obligation bonds and sales tax extension for housing programs to create more affordable housing units throughout the city in response to the current housing crisis. The request fits into that amount, giving officials the opportunity to incorporate the commissioners’ requests into existing programs and include funding in the next 2025-26 fiscal year budget, which begins July 1. Mayor Nichols will present his budget to the Tulsa City Council by May 1. Councilors are given until June 30 to make amendments and vote to approve the upcoming budget.
Robinson said the Commission is riding the wave of support reflected in statements already made by the City Council, and from the former and current mayors.
“The reality is that we’re working to get something done. And so looking at where both of them have sort of signaled their interests, I think it is true that that has influenced how we put the recommendations out, when we put them out, and what’s in them,” Robinson said in an interview with The Oklahoma Eagle.
In addition to the housing recommendations and ongoing housing fund (listed later in this article), the BAC is also seeking several policies and ordinances that would booster the status of north Tulsa. The proposals are designed to engage residents and prioritize infrastructure upgrades in north Tulsa zip codes; land reclamation in north Tulsa, including the transfer of Tulsa Development Authority (TDA) properties in north Tulsa to an approved Community Land Trust or Community Development Corporation (CDC) for housing or neighborhood development; expand the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Equity programs related to economic justice, including training programs, and to ensure fair property appraisals in north Tulsa. The recommendations also encourage Black-led development.
It has long been argued that real estate in north Tulsa is undervalued, impacted by historic redlining and policy discrimination baked to appraisal formulas.
“Once you take into account all of the forces that have lowered and depressed (home) values for so long, you’re just continuing to perpetuate appraisal numbers that just aren’t—they’re not true,” Robinson said.
“Your house could be the exact same on 15th (Street) and (South) Peoria as it is on 36th (Street) North and (North) Peoria, but when you’re appraising, you’re taking a collection of the values around, and that influences what your house is worth,” he continued. “And because of past policy, north Tulsa zip codes are just systematically undervalued. When you think about how critical homeownership is to building wealth, that is an area that we’ve got to figure out.”
With respect to land reclamation, Robinson said there is a potential for collaboration with existing community projects including Greenwood -Kirkpatrick Heights, north of downtown, and the Phoenix District, where new housing is being built at 36th Street North and North Peoria.
Commission Housing Recommendations
Below are some of the highlights of the BAC’s proposals:
Home/Land Ownership Benefit (Individual) – $8M (32%): Funds for acquisition, inspections, down payments, and closing costs for real estate purchases in Tulsa.
Home Preservation/Improvement Benefit (Individual) – $7.5M (30%): Supports repairs, improvements, and modernization of Tulsa properties.
Mortgage & Property Tax Assistance (Individual) – $2M (8%): Covers mortgage principal, interest, penalties, and delinquent property taxes.
Home Ownership Readiness (Individual) – $3M (12%) Assists with loan eligibility by addressing debt, credit scores, and financial literacy.
North Tulsa Development (Organizational) – $2M (8%): Supports developers and contractors revitalizing north Tulsa’s housing supply.
Housing Program Reserve Trust (Organizational) – $2M (8%): Establishes a trust for long-term housing program benefits.
Program Development & Management – $400K (2%): Funds technical assistance, administration, and program evaluation.
Eligibility Tiers
Survivor Tier – 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre survivors (excluding perpetrators).
Descendants, Defenders & Rebuilders Tier – Up to 4th-generation descendants of defenders, victims, or those who rebuilt Greenwood (1921-1925).
Greenwood/North Tulsa Resident (1926-1971) Tier – Black Oklahomans (and two generations of direct descendants) who lived in Greenwood/North Tulsa and faced housing discrimination, including redlining and urban renewal.
Greenwood/North Tulsa Resident (1972-2020) Tier – Black Oklahomans who lived in Greenwood/North Tulsa and experienced housing inequities, including loan denials, appraisal discrimination, and property devaluation.
For a full list of housing recommendations and eligibility requirements, visit Beyond Apology Housing (www.cityoftulsa.org/beyondcommission)
