Judge rules Tulsa massacre reparations lawsuit can proceed for the three remaining victims

I learned about the Tulsa race massacre in graduate school and I was shocked that my previous education had failed me, but I realized it wasn't just me. Turns out that most students didn't learn about the history of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street and the atrocities that occurred to set the residents back. Surprisingly, even students in Oklahoma didn’t learn about what happened in the bustling, prosperous Black community in 1921. Just over 100 years ago, an angry white mob descended on Tulsa’s Greenwood District, the small Black community that had amassed wealth in the 56 years following the Emancipation Proclamation being signed. The community was entirely self-sufficient with its own barber shop, bank, grocery store, newspaper and school. There were even doctors and real estate agents, which allowed the community to exist without needing to depend on outsiders.
When the white mob came to town, they burned the entire community to the ground and killed around 300 people, historians surmised. The city lay in ruins for years as the state focused on building up the more predominantly white areas and refused to allocate resources. Insurance companies wouldn't pay out claims to rebuild the once thriving community. Residents of Greenwood felt the effects of this for generations. Today, there are three surviving members of Black Wall Street—Lessie Benningfield Randle, 107, Viola Fletcher, 107, and Hughes Van Ellis, 101—and a judge just ruled that their lawsuit seeking reparations can proceed.
This is a huge victory for the three because not only will they see justice in their lifetime, it will finally be monetary recognition of the generational setbacks Black people endured. Reparations is always a prickly subject to delve into, because we’ve been told our entire lives that if you want to make it in America, everyone has the same opportunity to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. As a result, people feel that descendants of the enslaved, including the last three Tulsa massacre survivors, are getting something undeserved without work.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is in Tulsa at the court house with Tulsa Greenwood Massacre survivors, all of whom are over 100 years old, to seek reparative justice. The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on this very legal theory.pic.twitter.com/h3XEul2GST— Sheila Jackson Lee (@Sheila Jackson Lee) 1651526127
Reparations is something that was promised from the beginning to help level the playing field. Most people understand that property is an investment and a way to create generational wealth. Enslaved African Americans were promised up to 40 acres of land per family after being freed but the land was ordered to be returned by Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's successor. Returning the land allowed white citizens and slave owners the ability to continue to create generational wealth, the effects of which can still be felt today. There have been other instances that play into the racial wealth gap in America such as redlining, Jim Crow, mass incarceration and so on, so the possibility of at least the survivors getting reparations is a reason to celebrate.
If the three elderly Tulsa Massacre survivors win their case, it will not only provide reparations for them, but for their descendants as well. Civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons told the Associated Press, “We want them to see justice in their lifetime,” as he choked back tears. “I’ve seen so many survivors die in my 20-plus years working on this issue. I just don’t want to see the last three die without justice. That’s why the time is of the essence.”
The court room was packed and cheers echoed in the chambers when the judge ruled the case could move forward. Winning this case would not only be justice for the survivors but a positive moment in history to witness.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.