African Americans in Oklahoma

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African Americans in Oklahoma

African Americans in Oklahoma are Black residents of the state. As of 2020, about 289,961 people, or 7.8% of the population, are Black.

History

Many Black Oklahomans trace roots to the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. Some enslaved Africans traveled with Native American tribes; a small number chose to stay with them.

In the 1800s, Black people moved to the area seeking political freedom. Two Black Oklahomans, Green I. Currin and David J. Wallace, were elected to the territorial legislature. By 1900, Black and white students often attended the same schools.

Jim Crow era

Starting in 1897, Oklahoma passed laws that restricted Black rights. This included segregated schools and a ban on interracial marriage. The state was known for strict segregation. Between 1905 and 1911, about 1,000 Black Oklahomans moved to Canada to escape oppression.

Violence and lynching

In 1911, Laura and L. D. Nelson, a Black mother and her child, were lynched in Okfuskee County. Between 1877 and 1950, at least 75 Black Oklahomans were lynched.

Tulsa Race Massacre

In 1921, Tulsa’s Greenwood District, home to many Black businesses, was attacked in the Tulsa Race Massacre. Deaths are estimated between 100 and 300. Afterward, more than 6,000 Black Oklahomans were detained.

Civil rights and desegregation

Activists like Clara Luper led protests in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1964, Oklahoma banned discrimination in cities, ahead of the national Civil Rights Act. The Deep Deuce neighborhood in Oklahoma City was later torn down to make way for a highway, and school desegregation continued into 1991.

Milestones and teaching about the past

In 1990, J. C. Watts became the first Black person to win statewide office in Oklahoma. In 2013, T. W. Shannon became the first Black Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. In 2002, teaching about the Tulsa Race Massacre was allowed in public schools; some students still did not learn about it. In 2021, a Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission was formed.

Today and communities

Today, Black children in Oklahoma are more likely to live in concentrated poverty than white children. From 1865 to 1920, Black people founded more than 50 all-black towns in the Indian Territory; 13 still exist. Black newspapers served Black communities in Oklahoma.