The Vernon Witness — Reclaiming Our Legacy

Our Mission

Preserve.
Protect.
Activate.

The Vernon Witness Experience and Museum exists to preserve, protect, and activate the lived histories of the Historic Black Town and community of Greenwood in Oklahoma and beyond through descendant-centered remembrance and engagement, creating space for truth, healing, and intergenerational connection.

About

Reclaiming Our Legacy: We Are the Descendants

The Vernon Witness Experience & Museum is a place where history is not simply remembered, it is encountered. Located within the historic basement of Historic Vernon A.M.E. Church, one of the few structures to survive the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, The Vernon Witness invites visitors into a space where faith, memory, and community converge. These walls sheltered hundreds of Greenwood residents seeking refuge during one of the darkest chapters in American history. Today, that same sacred space serves as a place of remembrance, education, and hope.

Church exterior, Greenwood District

The Vernon A.M.E. Church building, Greenwood District, Tulsa — the only structure in the massacre zone that survived.

Our Vision

“Vernon Witness is Greenwood's voices speaking truth then, now, and into the future.”

What's To Come

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A walkthrough of the Vernon Witness Experience & Museum.

The Team

Descendants.
Scholars.
Witnesses.

Kristi Williams

Interim Director and Project Director

Kristi Williams, also known as Orisabiyi, is a community activist, historian, and advocate for racial justice and cultural preservation. A descendant of survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and Creek Freedmen, Kristi draws on her rich ancestral heritage to champion equity and historical accountability. She is the Executive Assistant to Pastor Keith R. Mayes, Sr., of Historic Vernon AME Church and the founder of Black History Saturdays, a community-based program that combats the erasure of Black history in schools and empowers educators and learners. A National Geographic Explorer and recipient of the 2024 Wayfinder Award, Kristi's leadership extends to her roles on the 1921 Tulsa Mass Graves Oversight Committee and the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce. Through storytelling, organizing, and education, Kristi aims to inspire healing, advocate for reparations, and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.