Beyond Apology with Phil Armstrong
An evening focused on community healing, justice, and forward movement through the lens of the Beyond Apology initiative—a community-driven effort addressing the lasting impact of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The event will feature insights from Phil Armstrong, CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice and a leader in civic engagement and historical education. Through dialogue and reflection, attendees will explore the initiative’s eight priorities—ranging from education and economic development to cultural identity and health—highlighting ongoing efforts to advance repair, equity, and intergenerational justice in Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
PHIL ARMSTRONG
Phil Armstrong is the president and CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice (OCCJ), a role he began in February 2023. A native of Ohio, Armstrong has called Tulsa home for over 25 years. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Akron.
Armstrong previously served as interim director of Tulsa’s Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center and as project director for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. In these roles, he led major community initiatives involving stakeholder engagement, donor relations, and historical education. In July 2021, he stepped into the role of interim executive director at Greenwood Rising, helping to shape its early development and impact.
Deeply committed to civic engagement, Armstrong has served on several nonprofit boards, including the Barthelmes School for Music, Community Service Council, Reading Partners of Tulsa, and as past board chair of the Greenwood Cultural Center. At OCCJ, he continues his lifelong mission to challenge bias and promote inclusion through transformative youth and adult programming like Anytown Institute and the Youth Leadership Forum for Community Transformation.
BEYOND APOLOGY
Beyond Apology is a community-led process and report focused on advancing repair and justice for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and its lasting impact. Developed in Tulsa between April and July 2023, the report identifies eight community priorities: Education, Systems Change, Financial Compensation, Economic Development, Housing, Land, Health & Wellness, and Cultural Identity.More than an acknowledgment of past harm, Beyond Apology is a call to action—built on generations of advocacy by survivors, descendants, and community leaders.
The Beyond Apology Commission works to reconcile, restore, and unite Tulsa by advancing economic mobility and intergenerational wealth for survivors, their descendants, and North Tulsa residents—especially in the historic Greenwood District.This work honors the enduring spirit of Greenwood and the fight for lasting justice.