Excavation Tests Start as Next Step in Search for Tulsa Race Massacre Victims

07/13/2023

Crews working on finding mass graves from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre are moving forward on another step in the process. 

The city announced another two-day test excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery this week and it kicks off this Thursday morning. 

This excavation is not about searching for graves like we've been seeing. This time, it is about testing the site to find new information that could help researchers determine where to look next. 

Oral histories and newspaper articles from after the race massacre indicate that there are victims and possible mass graves in several areas around the city. 

So far, there have been two rounds of excavating at Oaklawn Cemetery beginning in 2020. 

27 remains have been exhumed with 22 analyzed for DNA extraction. That information came from the city in April. 

The hope is this will eventually bring answers to families who have relatives among the Tulsa Race Massacre victims. 

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