The Embassy of Ghana in Washington, DC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, the Ghana Tourism Authority, and the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President, hosted a ceremony granting Ghanaian citizenship to two of the last three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Madam Viola Fletcher, who is 108 years old, and her brother, Mr. Hughes Van Ellis, also known as Uncle Redd, who is 102 years old, were awarded certificates of citizenship in the Republic of Ghana at a ceremony held on Tuesday, February 28.
In 2018, Ghana proclaimed the “Year of Return” as a significant spiritual milestone and birth right journey, inviting the global African family, both at home and abroad, to commemorate 400 years since the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia, in the United States.
In August of 2021, Madam Viola Fletcher and Mr. Highes Van Ellis visited Ghana, which allowed His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to grant them citizenship. The Osu Traditional Council also granted them royal Ghanaian status and names during their weeklong visit. Queen Mother Naa Lamley Viola Fletcher and Nii Bio Lantey Hughes Van Ellis are their names and titles.
Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States administered the oath on behalf of Ghana’s President, Hajia Alima Mahama, in the presence of the new citizens’ friends and family members, Dr. Erieka Bennett; Head of Mission of Diaspora African Forum, and Councilwoman Regina Goodwin of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Attendees included Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Secretary to the Vice President Mr. Augustine Blay, CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority Mr. Akwasi Agyeman, and three-time Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, producer and activist, Rocky Dawuni.
The event was marked by a cultural performance by the Heritage Village Cultural Troupe, during which the Fletchers signed the citizenship document and had their biometrics captured following the oath-taking ceremony.
Source – Tru News Report
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