The youngest of a trio of the last known living survivors of one of the nation’s most horrific attacks against Black people wants more than cake for his 101st birthday. Hughes Van Ellis wants justice.
“The Judge needs to move our case forward. My Birthday Cake is sweet but Justice would be sweeter,” Van Ellis said in a statement shared by Public Radio Tulsa’s Chris Polansky.
“Uncle Red” Hughes Van Ellis shares a quest for reparations with his sister “Mother” Viola Ford Fletcher and third survivor “Mother” Lessie Benningfield Randle, both of whom turned 107 in 2021.