COMMUNITY
Kimberly Marsh
(L-R) A’marion Penny, 19, and Keyon’Dre Penny, 16 , great-grandchildren of Mother Lessie Benningfield Randle, 110, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Survivor. The two cousins have received full-tuition university scholarships from the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program. A’marion, a Central High School graduate, is a Langston University student majoring in both fields of business and science. Keyon’Dre is an Oklahoma State University freshman with a career goal of working at NASA. Source, Kimberly Marsh
Two great-grandchildren of 110-year-old Mother Lessie Benningfield Randle are committed to continuing their ancestral legacy as the recipients of college scholarships that will prepare them for careers and equip them with the knowledge and skills to preserve their elder’s work to keep the legacy of the Greenwood District alive.
(center) Lessie Benningfield Randle, 110, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Survivor, joined three generations of Randles to celebrate Sen. Regina Goodwin’s efforts to strengthen the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program. Photo, Kimberly Marsh
Mother Randle, one of two living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, joined her family in a news conference on March 29 at the Greenwood Cultural Center. The event was held to honor the achievements of Randle’s descendants and support St. Sen. Regina Goodwin’s bill to strengthen the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program. The program is a powerful testament to the enduring strength of the Greenwood community, its achievements, and the ongoing journey toward justice and reconciliation.
Even as a supercentenarian, Mother Randle shows her endurance and strength. She is present at many public events as the face of the Race Massacre victims, survivors, and their descendants. On this day, Randle, A’marion Penny, 19, and Keyon’Dre Penny, 16, along with many of the Randle descendants, scholarship committee members, local elected officials and community advocates gathered to support the program. The two cousins have received full-tuition university scholarships from the program.
(L-R) A’marion Penny, 19, and Keyon’Dre Penny, 16, great-grandchildren of Mother Lessie Benningfield Randle (center), 110, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Survivor. The two cousins have received full-tuition university scholarships from the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program. A’marion, a Central High School graduate, is a Langston University student majoring in both fields of business and science. Keyon’Dre is an Oklahoma State University freshman with a career goal of working at NASA. Photo, Kimberly Marsh
Oklahoma Senate Bill 1054 passed the Senate unanimously and will soon head to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Goodwin’s proposal builds on the program by prioritizing descendants of the massacre’s survivors, as well as other eligible graduates, to foster educational opportunities as a form of reconciliation. The Oklahoma legislature established the program in 2001, largely through the work and persistent lobbying of St. Rep. Don Ross and the late St. Sen. Maxine Horner.
“The emphasis would be placed on descendants,” Goodwin said. “This is about strengthening the scholarship, lengthening the legacy. The scholarship wants us to preserve our history. It wants us to understand that the race massacre was a horrific event. It was an event that we will never forget, and we continue to honor those that we have with us,” Goodwin added. As she spoke, Mother Randle was at her side.
A’marion, a Central High School graduate and now a Langston University student majoring in both fields of business and science, said he is aligned with the legacy of his family’s educational values. He wants to keep the Greenwood legacy alive through asking Black youth to not just follow in his footsteps, but to become even better as a leader.
“Keep God first,” he said. “I want young people to basically do what I’m doing but influence others so everybody can get a piece of the pie.”
An Oklahoma State University freshman with a career goal of working at NASA, Keyon’Dre said he spread information about the massacre and survivor legacy while at Rogers High School. He continues to generate more awareness.
“I’m just gonna uphold our name as much as I can, and I’m gonna give a lot of money with my profession,” he said, referring to his plans to share the wealth from his successes in a mechanical engineering career.
“I started teaching Keyon’Dre how to read at the age of six months,” said his mother LaDonna Penny, Randle’s granddaughter. “He read his first book at 18 months. He was promoted from the second grade to fourth grade. He took his first college course at the age of nine. I pushed him… and it was a struggle, but he is getting the talent that he was given out there.”
Goodwin asked participants to let families know Tulsa School District students may apply now for the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program at OKcollegestart.org under the Scholarships section.
Jennettie Marshall, former Tulsa Public Schools Board member, District 3, addressing audience during the Tulsa Reconciliation Education and Scholarship Program awards announcement event, March 29, 2025. Photo, Kimberly Marsh
The scholarship is funded by a trust that was established in 2001 with an appropriation of $1.5 million. The interest has funded scholarships to 184 students over the past 24 years. SB Bill 1054 would increase the taxable family income cap to $125,000 from the current $70,000, reflecting inflation, providing opportunities to more students. The scholarship can be used at any college, university or Career Tech in Oklahoma.
Moreover, the measure would also extend eligibility to qualified students from other states who are direct lineal descendants of those living in the Greenwood area of Tulsa between April 30, 1921, and June 1, 1921. The bill would remove the income cap entirely for applicants who are direct lineal descendants of individuals who lived in Tulsa’s Greenwood District during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Goodwin presented a similar measure twice while serving in the House of Representatives. Her previous effort, House Bill 4154, passed in the House but ultimately died in the Senate. The new measure was passed unanimously by the Oklahoma Senate. It now goes to a vote of the House. If successful, it would then be sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk for signature.
House Representatives Michelle McCane, Dist. 72, and Ron Stewart, Dist. 73, spoke at the news conference in favor of the bill. They pledged their support on the House side. Goodwin also thanked St. Rep. Jason Lowe, the House principal author of SB 1054.
“We think we are well represented here,” Goodwin said. “What we want to do is make sure that trust is healthy, and we want to make sure that the earnings from that trust continue to fund this scholarship long after we’re all gone. We can’t stay here forever, but we want it for the generations to come (so) that they will be able to benefit from the scholarship,” she added.
