Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This panel explores how Black Oklahomans utilized the township structure to cultivate safety and self-determination pre- and post-statehood. The presentations highlight the intersection of kinship, land, and community care. One paper traces a 1922 secessionist movement for an independent Black municipality near Tulsa. Another traces the life of a Black homesteading doctor who finds solace and confronts social issues in rural towns. The final presentation examines how African Creek families leveraged land allotments to secure political autonomy. Together, these studies interpret a legacy of reimagined spaces as essential engines for self-determination in political, social, and economic environments.
The speakers are Dr. Kalenda Eaton, associate dean and professor, The Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies, University of Oklahoma, and director of Oklahoma Research for the Black Homesteader Project; Anthony Cherry, PhD student, Oklahoma State University; Ben Folger, PhD candidate, University of Oklahoma; and Elizabeth Thomas, archives specialist, Oklahoma State University
This session is part of “Milestones in History,” the 2026 Oklahoma History Symposium.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed during the program do not necessarily represent those of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
This panel explores how Black Oklahomans utilized the township structure to cultivate safety and self-determination pre- and post-statehood. The presentations highlight the intersection of kinship, land, and community care. One paper traces a 1922 secessionist movement for an independent Black municipality near Tulsa. Another traces the life of a Black homesteading doctor who finds solace and confronts social issues in rural towns. The final presentation examines how African Creek families leveraged land allotments to secure political autonomy. Together, these studies interpret a legacy of reimagined spaces as essential engines for self-determination in political, social, and economic environments.
The speakers are Dr. Kalenda Eaton, associate dean and professor, The Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies, University of Oklahoma, and director of Oklahoma Research for the Black Homesteader Project; Anthony Cherry, PhD student, Oklahoma State University; Ben Folger, PhD candidate, University of Oklahoma; and Elizabeth Thomas, archives specialist, Oklahoma State University
This session is part of “Milestones in History,” the 2026 Oklahoma History Symposium.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed during the program do not necessarily represent those of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
