The first identified victim from a century-old mass grave of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 is C.L. Daniel, a Black World War I veteran, as announced by Tulsa's mayor. Daniel, who served in the U.S. Army, died at around 25 during the massacre. The violent events on May 31 and June 1, 1921, led to around 300 deaths and the destruction of over 1,000 Black-owned properties in Tulsa's Greenwood District, known as "Black Wall Street."
Born in Newman, Georgia, Daniel was stationed at Camp Gordon during the war and honorably discharged. He had written a letter in February 1921 requesting veteran benefits and highlighting his struggles with injuries. In May, he stopped in Tulsa on his way back to visit his mother in Georgia.
The remains, excavated in 2021 at Oaklawn Cemetery, were confirmed to belong to Daniel through DNA connected to his next of kin and a letter from his family's attorney seeking veteran benefits on his mother's behalf. Researchers involved in his identification included DNA Doe Project, Moxxy Forensics, Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, and Identifiers International.
At a news conference, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum mentioned a letter written by an attorney representing Amanda Daniel, seeking benefits after her son's death, led researchers to identify Daniel. Alison Wilde, director of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, highlighted that family history hobbyists' DNA data from websites like GEDmatch helped narrow the search to a set of brothers, ultimately finding the letter from Daniels' mother through the National Archives.
Daniel's body, not well-preserved, was identified despite being in fragments. The identity of Daniel's next of kin has not been released. Mayor Bynum emphasized the emotional impact of this discovery and the ongoing efforts to identify at least 17 more victims in the cemetery.
Link: NBCNews
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