Tulsa Race Massacre Survivor, 109, Casts Her Vote For Kamala
Seems like everything I read today makes me tear up, but that's okay. Joy cometh in the morning! Via Tulsa Public Radio:
One of the last known living survivors of a notorious racist attack is stumping for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Lessie Benningfield Randle, 109, issued a statement late Friday saying that she was grateful for the right to vote. Randle was born in 1914, and women didn’t gain the right to vote in Oklahoma until 1918.
In 1921, Randle witnessed the destruction of Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood at the hands of a white mob. The area was known for its relatively affluent Black residents. Researchers say as many as 300 people died.
Here is her statement:
“I don’t know how much longer I have left. But if this is my last ballot, then I’m grateful that it’s for Kamala Harris. I have five children and more than 20 grandbabies. VP Harris has the better chance of building the nation I want them to inherit."
“My grandchildren deserve a world where taking care of their parents isn’t a financial struggle, medication is affordable, and women are free. And all of our children deserve a president who will inspire them to learn from history, not a tyrant who will try to erase it.”