Tulsa, Oklahoma - Tulsa's new mayor proposed a $100 million private trust as part of a compensation program designed to modify the worst racial attack in U.S. history in a city-backed bid.

Monroe Nichols, the first black mayor of Oklahoma's second-largest city, did not directly provide cash payments to offspring or the last two centennial survivors attacked, killing up to 300 black people. He made the announcement at the Greenwood Cultural Center, a region that once prevailed in North Tulsa, which was destroyed by white mobs.

Nichols said he did not use the term compensation, which he called politically accused, describing his clear plan as a “way to repair.”

"For 104 years, the Tulsa Genocide has been a stain on our city's history," Nichols said after being applauded by hundreds of people. "The Holocaust is hidden in history books and followed by intentional acts of red lines, a highway designed to avoid economic vitality and permanent underinvestment by local, state and federal governments.

“It’s time to take the next big step to recover.”

Nichols said the proposal does not require approval from the city council, and although the council needs to authorize the transfer of any city property to the trust, what he said is likely.

The goal of establishing a private charitable trust fund will be to secure $105 million in assets, with most funds being obtained or committed by June 1, 2026. While details will be developed by the Executive Directors and Executive Board next year, the plan requires a majority of the funding ($60 million) to improve the building and revitalize the north side of the city.

"The Greenwood District is a business center," Nichols said in a telephone interview. "So, it's not just something missing from North Tulsa or the black community. It actually robs Tulsa's economic future, an economic future that would have competed with anywhere else in the world."

Nichols' proposal follows an executive order he signed earlier this year, recognizing June 1 as the anniversary of the Tulsa genocide, a formal urban holiday. Events held in Greenwood District on Sunday include family picnics, service and evening candlelight vigils.

Nichols is also aware of the current national political climate, especially President Trump’s full-scale attack on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which poses a challenge to political cross-winds.

"The fact that this is a tough environment with a broader national dialogue is a tough environment, but that doesn't change the work we have to do," Nichols admitted.

Jacqueline Weary is a Holocaust survivor John R. Emerson. She acknowledges the political difficulties of providing cash payments to future generations. But at the same time, she wonders how much wealth in her family is lost due to violence.

"If Greenwood was still there, my grandfather would still have his hotel. It's our inheritance, which was actually taken away," said Weary, 65.

Tulsa is not the first city in the United States to explore compensation. The Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois is the first American city in the United States to provide compensation to black residents to achieve past discrimination, providing eligible families with $25,000 in household repair costs, property down payments, and interest or delayed fines on the city's property. The program is funded by taxes on recreational marijuana sales.

Other communities and organizations considering providing compensation range from California to cities including Amherst, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; Asheville, North Carolina; Iowa, Iowa; Bishop’s Churches such as religious sects; and prestigious universities such as Georgetown University in Washington.

In Tulsa, there are only two survivors of the genocide, both 110 years old: Leslie Benningfield Randle and Viola Fletcher. The women all attended the meeting on Sunday, receiving direct financial compensation from Tulsa-based nonprofits and a New York-based charity, but have not received any compensation from the city or state.

Damario Solomon-Simmons, survivor and founder of Greenwood Foundation Justice, said earlier this year that any compensation plan should include direct payments to Randle and Fletcher, as well as compensation funds for victims.

Last year, the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed on behalf of survivors by Solomon-Simmons, which weakened hopes for racial justice advocates, hoping that the city would make financial corrections ever.