On November 5th, Monroe Nichols was elected Tulsa’s first Black mayor in the city’s 129 year history. FBO’s Jamie Glisson followed Nichols and his team for the day.

In the fall of 2020, Michael Hill, a Black citizen of the Cherokee Nation, woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone banging on the windows of his home. He called police for help, but the police arrested Michael in his own front yard. When trying to get his case heard in tribal court he was rejected because though he has tribal citizenship, he has no blood quantum and by federal law is not legally an Indian. His story is told in a newly released Audible Original documentary called Tribal Justice: The Struggle for Black Rights on Native Land, reported and written by two award-winning indigenous journalists, Allison Herrera and Adreanna Rodriguez. The following excerpt is the second installment of FBOs broadcast of the documentary.

Though the holiday season can be a time of joy and celebration, for some families it can be a time of struggle and stress. The Tulsa Dream Center works to address some of these disparities. Here’s Danielle A. Melton with details.

Bishop Silvester Scott Beaman, the 139th Elected and Consecrated Bishop of the AME Church, and chair of the White House's Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement and longtime spiritual advisor to President Biden, reflects on his role in fostering connections between African Americans and the broader African diaspora. Here’s our recent interview at Tulsa's historic Vernon AME Church, where Beaman shared his vision for strengthening ties and addressing challenges facing Black communities both in the U.S. and across the African continent.

Greenwood Rising: The Rise of Black Wall Street is a new full-length motion picture that was released October 11th on the Fawesome and Future Today streaming platforms. This movie centers on O.W. Gurley, a visionary and trailblazing businessman whose hard work laid the groundwork for Tulsa’s Greenwood District and the prosperous Black Wall Street. The film’s director, Aaron L. Williams, and lead actress Fatima Marie, who plays Emma Gurley, spoke with FBO’s Cepeda Cheeks about the film.

Medicine, fashion, and film converge as Dawn Carter brings us the second of a three part series on Oklahoma's Black Rodeo and Culture.This series, as well as a photo exhibition featuring Black Rodeo photos by Jamie & Richard Glisson of ImpressOK Studio, is funded by a grant from Oklahoma Humanities. Please visit rodeo dot kosu.org and sign up to receive further details on the February 1st, 2025 exhibition opening event.

Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the Commemoration Fund and Press Forward.

Our theme music is by Moffett Music.

Focus: Black Oklahoma’s executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producer is Jesse Ulrich.

Dueling Visions for Oklahoma & the United States at the 2024 RNC & DNC

In this special episode we reflect on the distinct political climates of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions held this year. In this special episode we highlight the contrasts of the two events: the RNC's urgent call to defend traditional American values and the DNC's optimistic vision for an inclusive future. Delves into how each party's platform impacts marginalized communities, women's reproductive rights, and Oklahoma's economic challenges. Through interviews with delegates and politicians, we show the stark differences in ideology and policy proposals between the two major parties with a particular focus on Oklahoma and Oklahomans.

Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by The Commemoration Fund and Press Forward.

This one hour special was made possible with support from KOSU Radio and Tri-City Collective. Special thanks to Rachel Hubbard, Ryan LaCroix, Robby Korth and Lori Walden. Special thanks to FBO correspondents Jamie Glisson and Shonda Little, who brought us this reporting on location in Milwaukee and Chicago.

Our theme music is by Moffett (mawhfet) Music.

Focus: Black Oklahoma’s executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producer is Jesse Ulrich.

You can visit us online at KOSU.org, focusblackoklahoma.com, and on YouTube at Tri-City Collective. You can follow us on Instagram @FocusBlackOk and on Facebook at facebook.com/focusblackok.

You can hear Focus: Black Oklahoma on demand for free at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Greenwood Rising: The Rise of Black Wall Street is a new full-length motion picture that was released October 11th on the Fawesome and Future Today streaming platforms. This movie centers on O.W. Gurley, a visionary and trailblazing businessman whose hard work laid the foundation for Tulsa’s Greenwood District. The film’s director, Aaron L. Williams, and lead actress Fatima Marie, who plays Emma Gurley, spoke with FBO’s Cepeda Cheeks about the film.