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BLACK HISTORY IS OKLAHOMA HISTORY
Blacks on the Oklahoma Frontier: Lawmen, Outlaws, Cowboys, Cowgirls, and Rodeos
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This film, produced in 2021, explores the largely unknown histories of Black cowboys and pioneers on the Oklahoma frontier. Hear first-hand accounts of cowboys and listen to historians who share the traditions and stories of local rodeos and Round-Up Clubs featuring Black cowboys. Discover more about rodeos held in historically All-Black towns in Oklahoma. Blacks on the Oklahoma Frontier: Lawmen, Outlaws, Cowboys, Cowgirls, and Rodeos, originally shown at the third annual Oklahoma African American Film Festival, was produced by the Oklahoma Historical Society's Black Heritage Committee. Click here or on the photo above to view the movie on OHS's YouTube channel. This video, along with countless resources about the Black experience in Oklahoma, are available online by clicking here.
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Take a closer look at
All-Black towns of Oklahoma
"The All-Black towns of Oklahoma represent a unique chapter in American history. Nowhere else, neither in the Deep South nor in the Far West, did so many African American men and women come together to create, occupy, and govern their own communities. From 1865 to 1920 African Americans created more than fifty identifiable towns and settlements, some of short duration and some still existing at the beginning of the twenty-first century."
Read the full Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture article written by Larry O'Dell by clicking here.
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Celebrating Black History Month with interviews of influential Oklahomans
Voices of Oklahoma is dedicated to preserving and sharing the oral histories of influential Oklahomans and empowering future generations with the lessons imparted from their incredible legacies. Click on the faces above to hear and learn from the oral histories of Black Oklahomans in their own words. Many have continually fought against racism and advocated for the Civil Rights of minorities.
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Click event listings below for more information.
1 - Antique Doll exhibit opens, Fred and Addie Drummond Home, Hominy
4 - Museum OKademy volunteer training class and lecture, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
4 - Block-Printed Valentine’s Day Card workshop, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
4 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
10 - Museum After Dark: Date Night at the Museum, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
11 - Quilting workshop with Martha Ray, Sod House Museum, Aline
11 - Hammered Moon and Star Earrings workshop, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
11 - Second Saturday Sewing Circle, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
15 - Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
18 - Museum OKademy volunteer training class and lecture, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
18 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
18 - Kids Make History, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
23 - “Lunch and Learn: Turning Records into an Archive: A Reflection on the Oklahoma Black Homesteader Project” presentation by Dr. Kalenda Eaton (VIRTUAL), State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City
24 - Movie Night featuring Oklahoma! (1955), Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
25 - Make Your Own Retro Earrings workshop, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
25 - Hands-On Historic Skills, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
26 - Antique Doll exhibit closes, Fred and Addie Drummond Home, Hominy
27 - Kilgen Organ performance and silent film The Mark of Zorro (1920) featuring Christian Elliott, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
28 - Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
1 - “Hidden Oklahoma: Notable Archaeological Discoveries in Northwestern Oklahoma” presentation by Dr. Leland Bement (VIRTUAL), State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City
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February is Black History Month
View and share resources about the Black experience in Oklahoma from the OHS website.
Masthead photo: A single-page circular and business directory advertising notable figures and officials of the town of Red Bird. Reverend Elbert L. Barber (fourth from left, middle row) was one of the town's developers who founded the First Baptist Church in Red Bird in 1889. He also became Red Bird's first justice of the peace and served as mayor. Iverson W. Lane (fifth from left, bottom row) fought for equal voting rights for Blacks in Wagoner County [Lane v. Wilson, 307 US 268 (1939)], which was decided in his favor at the US Supreme Court. He and Saub Bradley (sixth from left, bottom row) owned and operated two cotton gins, a grain elevator, and a farmers' merchandise store in Red Bird. This circular from the Currie Ballard Collection is on exhibit in the Kerr-McGee Gallery on the third floor of the Oklahoma History Center.
Red Bird is a historic All-Black town—one of 13 still incorporated today. A 14th town, IXL, was incorporated in 2001.
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