WH Dodges on Whether Tulsa Massacre Survivors Should Get Reparations

The White House declined to back a proposal for three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and other descendants affected by the riots to receive reparations, a recommendation made by a state commission into the incident, the Washington Examiner reported on Tuesday.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Air Force One en route to Tulsa on Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s focus was on raising awareness about the "tragic and devastating" massacre rather than seeking to compensate those affected.

She added that the president also “supports a study, as we've said before, into reparations, but believes that, first and foremost, the task in front of us is to root out systemic racism where it exists right now."