107-Year-Old Race Massacre Survivor Sporting New Jordans Thanks To Silhouette Sneakers

107-year-old Race Massacre survivor Viola Fletcher is sporting a brand-new pair of Jordans. She stopped by Silhouette Sneakers off Greenwood and the owner was so honored to have Viola in her store, she wanted to give the shoes to Viola as a gift. 

"It really just came down to my love for sneakers and my belief in what sneakers could bring to a community," said Silhouette Sneakers & Art owner Venita Cooper. 

You might see a pair of shoes, but Cooper sees a tool to bring people together.

"We want to represent the best of Tulsa," said Cooper. "Greer Shoemaker - the plaque is outside of our store. That was a shoe shop that was here before us and was destroyed in the massacre and we keep an advertisement up by our register."

Venita started Silhouette Sneakers & Art in November 2019. She's had all kinds of people stop into her shop, but none have stopped her in her tracks like Fletcher.

"I learned about this going through a drive-thru getting some fast food and I was so hyped about it that I left my food," said Venita. 

Fletcher is 107 years old and a survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre. She just told her story in front of the U.S. House in Washington.

"There is somebody who is a customer of ours who bought a pair of sneakers, who met with Mother Fletcher. I guess she met with him and made a remark about his shoes, like "Oh I love those shoes," said Cooper. 

Viola's family asked to connect with Silhouette and in no time at all, Cooper was sitting in her store talking with a woman whose resilience is making waves through the country.

"It was actually between some Jordan 1 and some Dunks but she went with Jordan 1 for her ankles, she was like, "I need that ankle support!" Cooper said. "I was making some assumptions and I said, 'What do you prefer? Adidas or Nike?" And she was like, "I have never had either, I could never afford them."

The shop gifted the sneakers to Fletcher. 

"It was an honor to have her in here," Cooper said. "This whole weekend is, this whole week this is for her. It is for those survivors; it is for those descendants."