Focus: Black Oklahoma

On this episode, we explore the ongoing complications around evictions and rental assistance in the state. Our new series In A Confused State takes us through the often complicated nature of progress in advancing democracy. The political is embodied in our first segment on reproductive rights. We also examine the many ways in which our war overseas informs war at home in part two of a series on Afghanistan. We chat with members of the LGBTQIA+ community about how Oklahoma could be more welcoming to others across difference. Finally, we spotlight neighborhood leaders in McAlester who are working to preserve two significant Black landmarks. All of this and more on Focus: Black Oklahoma.

This is the first episode in our three-part series "The Battle for Greenwood" and is produced by Focus: Black Oklahoma, in partnership with KOSU.

This episode, "Street Fight," explores the complex history of the two incarnations of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and their two different missions; the status of the Greenwood Cultural Center in light of the fact the Greenwood Rising History Center wasn’t built next door; and how urban renewal has created what some consider a third massacre in the District.

"The Battle for Greenwood" team includes Jamie Glisson, Carlos Moreno, Jesse Ulrich, Kolby Webster, and Devin Williams and was produced by Dr. Nick Alexandrov. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producer is Vanessa Gaona. Focus: Black Oklahoma is supported in part by KOSU, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Schusterman Family Philanthropies.

On this episode, unvaccinated Black and brown communities brace for a COVID surge that will worsen health outcomes and widen health disparities. We'll unravel Oklahoma's surprising connection to the war in Afghanistan and hear from Haitians who fled political unrest and natural disasters to now call Oklahoma home. Our final segment of Blacks and Cannabis clears the air about working in the cannabis industries. We'll hear stories of the past and present from one of the state's remaining all-Black towns and take you to the premiere of the Native American television series Reservation Dogs. Finally, we'll share in the complexities of connecting with family amidst the ongoing pandemic. All of this and more on Focus: Black Oklahoma.

On this episode, we'll speak with social justice organizations across the state who are being challenged by new legislation that they believe impedes their rights to assemble peacefully. We look at the future of evictions in Oklahoma and the recent extension of the federal eviction moratorium. We learn more about the new Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma and the people who stand to benefit most from this policy. We also explore the intersections and systems of community care through motherhood in Black and Indigenous communities, and dive into the labor of staying accurate when putting Native cultures on screen. The fight for reparations continues, as we follow a state representative whose fighting for what the Black community is owed, and we look at the lasting impacts of forever chemicals on Oklahoma fracking sites and how we can recover from their effects. And, we hear from Black cowboys and cowgirls celebrating tradition and culture for Juneteenth.

All of this and more on Focus: Black Oklahoma.

On this episode, we take a deep dive into House Bill 1775, its authors, its opponents and its repercussions in classrooms across the state. We also speak with two Oklahoma City activists who met with a state legislator following the lawmaker's controversial remarks about the Black Lives Matter movement, and we visit Turley to better understand why it's a town, but it's also not, and we celebrate a poet and professor who is now also a NAACP Image Award winner. In the second installment of our series "Blacks and Cannabis," we hear the experiences of a North Tulsa based dispensary owner who opened his doors during the pandemic and the community activist who never wanted those doors opened. All of this and more on Focus: Black Oklahoma.

On this episode, the first Black mayor of an Oklahoma town talks about his plans to do things differently for the Idabel community, a historic election is set to take place among tribes which will finally consider the inclusion of their fellow Black tribal members, we talk with descendants of civil rights pioneers of small town Oklahoma about the legacy of their families' work to push their community into a more just future, we have a story on how Black women are bringing recycling to their community and taking claim to a history of reducing and reusing, and we'll dive into the inequities of Oklahoma's growing cannabis industry with our series 'Blacks and Cannabis." All of this and more on Focus: Black Oklahoma.

On this episode, how the University of Tulsa is helping to alleviate legal complications around housing and unemployment for north Tulsa residents, why one Oklahoma state lawmaker believes returning to normal after the pandemic is an error, the untold stories of three Black sheroes who helped move the journey to freedom forward, a deep dive into the first novel published about the Tulsa Race Massacre, why Oklahoma is becoming a bright spot in the filmmaking industry, and the power of a smile. All of this and more on Focus: Black Oklahoma.

On this episode, what's happening, or maybe not happening, on Greenwood Avenue during the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial events and Juneteenth celebrations, as the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce sends mixed messages. We also ask what it's like covering the state's overwhelming incarceration statistics, legislation and news as a Black reporter and we'll go from the Democratic Republic of Congo to refugee camps in Uganda to Tulsa, as we hear from refugees of the war torn region. Then, we speak with Black farmers across the state who finally see relief on the horizon after enduring decades of discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and we bring up why representation matters by hearing from Black media owners across the state about how Black media benefits Oklahomans. Finally, we highlight a new streaming series called BLERDs which brings the representation of Black nerds to the surface portraying the lifestyles of Black folks who love pop culture.

On this episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma, we follow up on the Oklahoma City Black Lives Matter protestors who were charged with domestic terrorism last June and examine the so-called Second Amendment Sanctuary Laws recently passed by state legislators in defense of civil liberties. We also explore the Cherokee Nation ruling regarding the status of Freedmen and investigate the recent trend of racist attacks against Jewish and Asian Americans. Then, we speak with two Bartlesville entrepreneurs who have defied the pandemic odds and kept their doors open and visit with the owner of a sneaker shop who paid rent for folks struggling with eviction notices. Finally, we celebrate the magic of Black women.

"The Streets Are My Home: Evictions, Homelessness, and COVID" is the third and final episode of our three-part series "Black Plague: COVID In North Tulsa." This episode focuses on the effects of COVID-19 in the north Tulsa community, specifically on evictions and unhoused people.

The series was made in partnership with Solutions Journalism Network, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective.