Black History is Oklahoma History
Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State
Author talk and book signing with Caleb Gayle, September 24
Award-winning author and journalist Caleb Gayle will present free lecture and book signing at the Oklahoma History Center on Thursday, September 24, at 7 p.m. After the lecture, there will be a question-and-answer session, followed by a book signing and reception. Copies of Black Moses will be available to purchase during the event.View Caleb Gayle event details
Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America
Author talk and book signing with Candacy Taylor, November 20
Discover the stories behind The Green Book and its lasting impact on American history and Route 66. Before the program, guests are invited to explore the Oklahoma History Center’s exhibits from 5 to 7 p.m., including The Longest Stretch: Route 66 in Oklahoma, courtesy of the Metropolitan Library System.View Candacy Taylor event details
Explore Historic Places
“Raising Washington: Preserving the Legacy of African American History in Stillwater”
The all-volunteer efforts to save historic Booker T. Washington School engaged a broad spectrum of community support. The school is the only standing example of an All-Black segregated school in Payne County.
“An Oklahoma Story of Place: Voices of Preservation” – Summit, Oklahoma
Summit was one of more than 50 All-Black towns established in present-day Oklahoma, and one of only 13 still in existence.
“An Oklahoma Story of Place: Voices of Preservation” – Threatt Filling Station
Built in 1915, the Threatt Filling Station was owned and operated the Threatt family. Located along Route 66 near Luther, it served African American travelers and locals. This business is one that would typically be included in “The Travelers’ Green Book.”
Historical Markers
“Oklahoma Bound,” the films of Reverend S. S. Jones
Historical markers recognize key people, locations, and events in Oklahoma history. OHS is currently conducting a survey of historical markers and making updates to our database.
Browse historical markers related to ethnic diversity.
National Register of Historic Places
Listing in the National Register of Historic Places is an honorific designation that provides recognition, limited protection, and, in some cases, financial incentives for these important properties. The State Historic Preservation Office identifies, evaluates and nominates properties for this special designation. Use the links below to read the National Register nomination for each property.
All-Black Towns and More
The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
Watch selections from silent films created by Reverend S. S. Jones, who came to Oklahoma Territory in 1889. Scenes of traditionally All-Black towns of Oklahoma include Taft, Clearview, Melvin, and Boley in the 1920s.
Thematic and Architectural Survey
The Civil War in Indian Territory
The Battle of Honey Springs (2021) tells the story of the historic 1863 battle that was a turning point for the Civil War in Indian Territory.
The approximately 9,000 troops involved included Native Americans, veteran Texas regiments, and the First Kansas Colored Volunteers, which was the first African American regiment in the Union army.
Walk the historic battlefield and view artifacts that tell the story of this momentous event at Honey Springs Battlefield, located east of US Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. Learn more about Honey Springs Battlefield.
Freedmen and the Territorial Era
Researching Freedmen History
View images, learn about Dawes Rolls, and find sources for Freedmen records on our Freedmen history page.
- African Americans
- African American Newspapers
- Battles of Cabin Creek
- Battle of Honey Springs
- Buffalo Soldiers
- Civil War Era
- Civil War Refugees
From The Chronicles of Oklahoma
- “‘The Golden Days’: Taylor and Mary Ealy, Citizenship, and the Freedmen of Chickasaw Indian Territory, 1874–77,” by Ellen Cain
- “Reading Prestatehood Muskogee: Racial-Political Discourse in American Indian, African American, and White Newspapers, 1905–07,” by Angela M. Person
- “West Edwards Days: African Americans in Territorial Edmond,” by Christopher P. Lehman
“From Tulsa to Beyond: African American Genealogy in the Indian Territory and Oklahoma,” Nicka Smith (2023)
Research your ancestors using tribal records (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole), federal records, newspapers, college/university collections, and OHS records.
“The Misremembered ‘Uncle’ Wallace and ‘Aunt’ Minerva,” Shelby Ward (2021)
“Uncle” Wallace and “Aunt” Minerva Willis contributed to our musical legacy, performing Negro spirituals during the antebellum Indian Territory period, but the nature of their relationship has been misremembered. Hear their story in this presentation.
“Finding Isaac Rogers,” Nicka Sewell-Smith (2021)
Isaac Rogers was a well-known Civil War veteran and deputy marshal who met his demise in Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, on April 21, 1897—but who was he outside of those titles and that singular event?
“The Elder Dunjee: Examination of the Life and Influence of John William Dunjee in Early Oklahoma”, Edith Ritt-Coulter (2022)
John William Dunjee, father of Roscoe Dunjee, contributed to the establishment of African American churches in Oklahoma and Indian Territories. He instilled in his children political consciousness rooted in the ideology of racial uplift that impacted communities throughout the US.
Discover How Black Oklahomans Shaped Literature, Music, Sports, and Culture
The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and CultureMusicians
Athletes
- African American Baseball
- Prentice Gautt
- Marques Haynes
- Kenny Monday
- Wilber “Bullet Joe” Rogan
- Barry Sanders
- Selmon Brothers
- Billy Ray Sims
- Willie “Pops” Stargell
- Wayman Tisdale
Bobby Walton interview (2016)
Bobby Walton discusses breaking barriers in his attempt to be certified the first African American to register and participate as a player in the Oklahoma American Legion Baseball Tournament in 1954–55 in Enid, Oklahoma.
Early Oklahoma
The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture- James Herman Banning
- Rufus Cannon
- Chief Alfred Sam
- Green I. Currin
- Drusilla Dunjee Houston
- Roscoe Dunjee
- Henry Ossian Flipper
- Dick Glass
- Crawford Goldsby
- A. C. Hamlin
- Judith Ann Carter Horton
- Coody Johnson
- Edward P. McCabe
- Zeke Miller
- Frederick Moon
- Bass Reeves
- W. H. Slaughter
- A. J. Smitherman
- William Twine
- Daniel Walker
- David J. Wallace
- “Uncle” Wallace and
“Aunt” Minerva Willis - I. W. Young
From The Chronicles of Oklahoma
- “Colorblind Proletarian Brotherhood: African Americans, American Indians, and Racial Inclusivity in the Oklahoma Socialist Party,” by Matthew F. Simmons
- “Did Oklahoma African Americans Vote Between 1910 and 1943?,” by R. Darcy
- “Sundown on the Prairie: The Extralegal Campaigns and Efforts from 1889 to 1967 to Exclude African Americans from Norman, Oklahoma,” by Michael S. Givel
The Tulsa Race Massacre
View Oklahoma Historical Society photographs, oral histories, and newspapers on the Tulsa Race Massacre page
E-Exhibit
Tulsa Race Massacre
Lesson Plans
Black Wall Street
The Tulsa Race Massacre
Riot Versus Massacre
Teacher Resource Guides correlating to Oklahoma History Academic Standards
OKH.5.2, Examine multiple points of view regarding the evolution of race relations in Oklahoma
Civil Rights in Oklahoma
“The Good Fight,” Crossroads online publication
This issue presents an intimate look back at the struggle for civil rights in Oklahoma City.
Remembering the Oklahoma City Sit-In
Through historic images and new interviews with sit-in participants, producers Joyce Jackson and Bruce Fisher tell the powerful story of this movement.
People of Oklahoma: Civil Rights Movement Across Oklahoma
This documentary includes reflections of some who participated in sit-ins across Oklahoma, in addition to the comments by community leaders.
Civil Rights Topics
in the encyclopediaCivil Rights Leaders
in the encyclopediaFrom The Chronicles of Oklahoma
- “An Unflinching Call for Freedom: Clara Luper’s Pedagogy at the Center of Sit-Ins,” by Rachel E. Watson
- “Fitting In and Sitting In: Phillip Henry Porter and Memories of Integration Efforts in Enid, 1955–58,” by Aaron Preston
- “Thurgood Marshall’s “Broom Closet”: The Structure of Segregation in McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents,” by Eric Lomazoff and Bailie Gregory
- “Unforgotten Trailblazer: Nancy O. Randolph Davis,” by Gloria J. Pollard
Researching the Black Experience in Oklahoma
Historic Newspapers
View thousands of issues in the African American Newspapers Collection, including these publications:
- The Black Dispatch
- The Langston City Herald
- The Muskogee Cimeter
- The Muskogee Lantern
- The Oklahoma Eagle
- The Oklahoma Guide
- The Oklahoma Safeguard
- The Peoples Elevator
- The Taborian Monitor
- The Tulsa Star
- The Weekly Progress
- The Western World
- The Wewoka and Lima Courier
Find more newspapers on The Gateway to Oklahoma History or visit the OHS Research Center in Oklahoma City to view newspapers on microfilm.
Collections on The Gateway to Oklahoma History
Currie Ballard Collection
Down Home Blues Club & OK Blues Hall of Fame
Finley-Slaughter Family Collection
Melvin R. Chatman Collection
Rubye M. Hall Collection
Clara Luper Collection
Shirley Nero Collection
Sapulpa Historical Society Collection
Zella Patterson Collection
The Ellis Family Story, by Mel Chatman
More Resources
African American History Resource Guide (PDF)
The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
Audio and Video
The Clara Luper Show
Listen to select episodes on YouTube
A Very OK Podcast
- “The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre”
- “A Little Freedom is a Dangerous Thing”
- “Black Wall (Main) Street”
- “Jazz in Oklahoma”
- “Oklahoma’s All-Black Towns”
- “Retail Therapy”
- “Soldiers, Ranchers and Outlaws (1866–1907)”
More Podcasts
Resources for Educators, Parents, and Students
Traveling Exhibits
Bring a traveling exhibit to your school, library, church, or local community center.
- All-Black Towns of Oklahoma
- Thirteen All-Black Towns of Oklahoma
- Early Oklahoma: Black Hope/Black Dreams
Visit the Oklahoma History Center Museum
Visit Realizing the Dream, an exhibit about the Black experience in Oklahoma, at the Oklahoma History Center.
E-Exhibits
- The African American Civil Rights Movement in Oklahoma
- African Americans in Oklahoma Before 1954
- The Tulsa Race Massacre
- “African Americans” in A Fluid Frontier: Minority and Ethnic Groups and Opportunity in Oklahoma
In the Classroom
Lesson Plans
The Curious Case of All-Black Towns
Senate Bill One
Black Wall Street
The Tulsa Race Massacre
Riot Versus Massacre
African Americans in Oklahoma Traveling Trunk and Pop-up Panels
This hands-on trunk is available to teachers, librarians, homeschool co-ops and pre-service teachers. It includes photographs, flyers, artifacts, books, and more. Learn more about traveling trunks.
Guides correlating to Oklahoma History Academic Standards
View Oklahoma history standards.
- OKH.1 The student will describe the state’s geography and the historic foundations laid by American Indian, European, and American cultures.
- OKH.2 The student will evaluate the major political and economic events that transformed the land and its people from early contact through Indian Removal and its aftermath.
- OKH.3 The student will evaluate the major political and economic events that transformed the land and its people from the outbreak of the Civil War through allotment and land openings.
- OKH.4 The student will analyze the formation of constitutional government in Oklahoma.
- OKH.5 The student will examine the Oklahoma’s political, social, cultural, and economic transformation during the early decades following statehood.
- OKH.6 The student will investigate how post-war social, political, and economic events continued to transform the state of Oklahoma from the 1950s through the present.
Guides correlating to US History Academic Standards
View standard USH 1.2 Analyze the post-Reconstruction civil rights struggles.
- Identify the significance of Juneteenth in relation to emancipation and modern-day celebrations.
- Examine the purposes and effects of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.
- Assess the impact of the Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, and the actions of the Ku Klux Klan.
View standard USH 4.1 Examine the economic, political, and social transformations between the World Wars.
- Describe the rising racial tensions in American society including the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, increased lynchings, race riots as typified by the Tulsa Race Riot, the rise of Marcus Garvey and Black nationalism, and the use of poll taxes and literacy tests to disenfranchise Blacks.
View standard USH 7.1 Analyze the major events, personalities, tactics and effects of the Civil Rights Movement.
About This Page
As an educational organization and a dedicated community partner, the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) has long believed that one important step toward ending racism and injustice is a better understanding of our shared history.
Since 1893, the Oklahoma Historical Society has collected and shared the story of Oklahoma. In the 1980s, the OHS began a concerted effort to engage with Oklahoma’s Black community—to listen to their stories and share their experiences. While we have made both mistakes and significant strides, we will continue to do better and do more. The OHS stands committed to our mission to collect, preserve, and share the history and culture of all Oklahomans. Learn more and browse free resources related to the Black experience in Oklahoma below.
