Focus: Black Oklahoma

In this episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma:  Education funding disparities continue to adversely impact students in underserved communities who suffer from limited opportunities for success. Anthony Cherry talks with education leaders in Tulsa who are committed to advocating for more equitable funding allocations from the legislature. Special thanks to an aspiring journalist named Harley Smith...

This month on Focus Black Oklahoma: Parenting is hard and determining what constitutes a family is even harder. Oklahoma Law has no precedent for a same sex custody battle. Yet, Kris Williams finds herself in the midst of a struggle for parental rights. Shonda Little has the story. The American Dream is fairly elusive, even for the people who were born and raised in the United States. Economic inc...

This month we start with education. No matter what you call it, a “voucher” or a “tax credit,” the end result is defunding our State’s public education system. Anthony Cherry talks with two state lawmakers about the current legislative session and the bills regarding school vouchers. Since the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011, there has been a growing focus on the disparity between the wealthie...

In this episode, we begin with a story that explores the insidious aspects of implicit bias. They are an ever present part of the lived experiences of people of color in America. Black women are the most susceptible to bias through the lens of the healthcare system. Dr. Jabraan Pasha has the story about the Tulsa Birth Equity Initiative and its mission to ensure that more pregnant Black women have...

Oklahoma is among the Republican led states that have banned over 1000 books since Fall 2021, with the bans disproportionately affecting works with Black characters or addressing issues of race. Focus: Black Oklahoma’s Anthony Cherry spoke with educators about the impact of restricting literature in the classroom. With Kamala Harris holding the office of the Vice President of the United States, Bl...

On this episode, we start off with Anthony Cherry bringing us details on how finding representation in education is the new challenge for school districts in this story from September. Oklahoma’s teacher shortage has reached critical levels and finding Black teachers is almost impossible. Shonda Little explores the motivations and tactics used by white supremacist gangs in the state and where they...

On this episode, we start off with Dr. Nick Alexandrov examining one Tulsa Fortune 500 company that uses its money to support campaigns of politicians who proclaim, without evidence, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump. As many find themselves learning to navigate in a “post-truth” era, there’s at least one statement you can always trust: money talks. For 2022 midterm...

On this episode, we start off with exploring why most people believe that justice must be punitive. The Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma seeks to change the public’s perceptions on this issue using a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens. Jasmine Bivar-Tobie has the story. Next Jamie Glisson introduces us to Joshua Harris-Till. 67 years ago a 14 year old boy was murdered based on an accus...

On this episode, we start off with a closer look at Oklahoma’s teacher shortage, which has reached critical levels, and finding Black teachers is almost impossible. Anthony Cherry has details on how finding representation in education is the new challenge for school districts. Next Shonda Little examines recent tragic impacts that lagging mental health funding and unrestricted access to guns have...

In this installment, Lydia Jeong met with leaders who are closing gaps in anti-racist education by encouraging Oklahomans to talk about issues relating to race and discrimination. Her story has more about Aware Tulsa and University of Oklahoma’s Anti-Racist Rhetoric and Pedagogies seminar. Next up Anthony Cherry examines how most Oklahomans are unaware of the state’s early migrants from the Asian...

We start this episode with taxes! Tax code is complicated and the fiscal impact of the McGirt decision on the State tax collection is also complicated. Dawn Carter has the story on how tribal tax exemptions are impacting state funded programs. We continue discussing Native American Nations in our next story. Allison Herrera tells us about the traumatic experiences of Indian Boarding schools, painf...

After numerous attempts by the Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to be granted a trial, a judge handed down an unprecedented ruling on May 2nd that provides hope to those who are fighting to repair and restore Greenwood. Carlos Moreno has more. Next Jamie Glisson has the first in a series exploring the candidates running for political office across the state. Here, she speaks with Congress...

Dr. Nick Alexandrov opens the show with #justiceforshed: A Black man is dead in Norman, OK and while the family seeks answers, others are bringing attention to Stand Your Ground laws and how they are in-equitably applied when it comes to Black and Brown bodies. Next Jamie Glisson reports that only 54% of registered voters in Oklahoma voted in the 2020 elections. As we approach key electi...

Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history and direct action/activism. We begin the show with our final piece in the series as Devi...

Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history, and direct action/activism. This week we start the show with our latest in the series....

We kick off this episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma with Devin Williams reporting on how teachers in the state are being pushed to the brink and the current state of teaching, and subbing, during the covid-19 pandemic as well as policymakers advocating for better. Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. O...

Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history and direct action/activism. Continuing this series, we begin with Juddie Williams and Dr...

Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history and direct action/activism. Continuing this series, we begin with Jamie Glisson explorin...

This is the final episode in our three-part series "The Battle for Greenwood" and is produced by Focus: Black Oklahoma , in partnership with KOSU. This episode, "Reparations," looks at Tulsa Race Massacre descendants' demands that they be compensated for their trauma; the City of Tulsa's pushback against reparations; the domestic history, and global context, of these calls for repayment; and the w...

On this episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma we dive into the complications and chemicals of Capital Punishment with Carlos Moreno and Dr. Nick Alexandrov investigates healthcare as reparations. Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series "In a Confused State" follows Oklahoma advocacy groups na...

This is the second episode in our three-part series "The Battle for Greenwood" and is produced by Focus: Black Oklahoma , in partnership with KOSU. This episode, "What’s Next, or Is Greenwood Rising?," investigates the contentious relationship and agendas between the two Chambers of Commerce in Greenwood; the backstory of the land on which ONEOK Field resides and its impact on the economic gr...

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 Af...

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 Cente...

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 cannabi...

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...