Ghana welcomes home Tulsa Race Massacre survivors Mama Fletcher and Uncle Redd

 At 107 and 100 respectively, Fletcher and Redd walked, yes walked, from their car to a brief but joy-filled VIP airport reception~

Ghana’s peace and stable democracy, along with her open-arms posture to returning global African family paid huge dividends as two of the three remaining survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre chose the west African country over Egypt and a couple of other east African countries for their dream visit to the Motherland.

When the Delta Flight from New York Landed on runway 210 of the Kotoka International Airport at 2:26pm on Saturday August 14, the jubilation began with a look of amazement on the face of Dr. Toni Luck who had traveled to Ghana from Johannesburg, South Africa to welcome them. “The plane is on the ground y’all,” Luck said.

Adjacent to her, septuagenarian Ambassador Erieka Bennet, Head of the Diaspora Africa Forum jumped up and down like a kid who just received a dream gift at Christmas saying “I wanna see the plane, I wanna see the plane.”

Six weeks of work went into planning the first trip to Africa by Mother Viola Fletcher and her brother Hugh Van Ellis mostly called “Uncle Redd.” And the VIP Lounge was abuzz with excitement.

The first car brought Michael Thompson, founder and CEO of Our Black Truth which sponsored the trip. Thompson’s statement was brief. “It’s a dream come true, and I’m looking forward to learning more about Ghana,” he said.

       

Thompson’s curiosity about Ghana had already started with his confession that he had started working his cameras as early as the short ride between the airplane and the VIP lounge.

Other members of the duo’s delegation including the daughter of Uncle Redd arrived to a rousing welcome before the vehicle pulled up and the small crowd gathered at the VIP Lounge caught their first glimpse of Mother Fletcher and Uncle Redd.

When the wheel chairs first came out the expectation was that Mother Fletcher and her brother Uncle Redd would sit in them. Not so. The two centenarians grabbed onto their walkers and strolled into the lounge in calculated steps that still stated clearly that they have taken very good care of themselves to be walking at all.

After some brief introductions, the welcome team carefully escorted them into their vehicles, and with the media bus in tow and a motor rider escorting, the motorcade navigated the circumference of the airport and headed to the La Palm Royal Beach hotel, which is now unofficially the “Mama Fletcher’s Palace.”

Upon arrival, traditional drumming and dancing welcomed them to the “Palace” and the Tourism team decorated the famous visitors with the specially woven Kente stole bearing “Beyond The Return” inscription to formally welcome them to Ghana.

After the traditional welcome, the considerate handlers of Mother Fletcher and Uncle Redd quickly ushered them into their rooms and continued with an arrival orientation only with the accompanying members of the entourage. For all intensive purposes and in recognition of their age, the two Centenarians were done for the day except for dinner.

Not much has been planned beyond church service for Sunday, but Monday marks the beginning of the actual tour of Ghana including stops at the Presidency and the Osu Dungeon.

DNT News, Accra, Ghana

…………………………………………………