Community Honors Memory Of 102-Year-Old Race Massacre Survivor

Family, friends, and supporters of one of the last remaining Tulsa Race Massacre survivors met Friday night to honor his memory.

Hughes Van Ellis lived to be 102 years old and passed away on October 9.

People came from across the country to honor Hughes Van Ellis for this celebration of life, which included food, music, and dancing.

Family members say this was how Van Ellis would have wanted to be remembered- with a celebration.

“He was a joyous guy; he was always a pleasure moment to be with him,” said Rome Withers, a cousin of Van Ellis. “He was a fun family member. He was all about trying to make sure that the family enjoyed themselves. Everybody got to know each other.”

Van Ellis was one of the last three remaining survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The two who remain are Viola Fletcher, his older sister, and Lessie Benningfield Randle.

People like Cheryl Scales say they were inspired by his life and everything he stood For.

“What an extraordinary man,” said Scales, who was visiting from Atlanta. “Every time I had the opportunity to see him speak, he always had a bit of fire and a bit of gust, and to the serious points he made, but also in terms of the way he lived.”

Those who knew him best say he would have wanted everyone to celebrate tonight.

“He would love it, he’d be winking at the ladies, and he’d be talking about how we have to keep moving forward, he would be talking about how education is important, he would be talking about how just treating your fellow man the right way, is important,” said State Representative Regina Goodwin.

They hope people will learn from his motto in life that it’s important to keep fighting and move forward.

“He reminded us that we must live, that we’re present, and to make use of the time that we have here and how we make a difference in our circles and in people’s lives,” said Scales. “And I love that about him.”

Van Ellis was also a veteran, so the organizers wanted to honor his service before the Veteran’s Day holiday on Saturday.