Oklahoma Black Communities Symposium

Program Type:

Cultural Experiences

Age Group:

All Ages, Adults
  • Registration is required for this event.
  • Registration will close on February 28, 2026 @ 11:00am.

Event Description


Oklahoma Black Communities Symposium, 2/28/26, 12-5pm, Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave, OKC
On February 28th, the Metropolitan Library System will be hosting a series of discussions and presentations on Black community research and preservation in Oklahoma. This event will bring together individuals, organizations, and institutions from the central Oklahoma  documenting the history of Black urban enclaves, rural communities, and Black towns. 
 
Keynote: 
Noon-1:30 p.m.
Nicka Sewell-Smith

From Tulsa to Beyond: African American Genealogy in Oklahoma

Professional Genealogist Nicka Smith will offer an in-depth look at using Oklahoma-specific resources to uncover their unique stories.

Attendees will learn how to research the lives of their ancestors using tribal records (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole), federal records, newspapers, college/university collections, historical society records, and more! Understanding of these records will help those researching family trees to discover deep roots in the Sooner State.

 

Other presentations will feature on-going projects from across the area focusing on specific communities, scholarship in the field, and coalition-building to create successful preservation projects. 
Presentations:

2-2:45 p.m.

Walnut Grove: Honoroing Black Community History Shawntay Alexander of Oklahoma Black Alumni Coalition46 Star Auditorium

The OHS All-Black Towns Project, Past and Future State Historian Dr. Matthew Pearce of the Oklahoma Historical Society Friends Room

 

3-3:45 p.m.

Sandtown Stories Loyce Edwards and Phelicia Morton 46 Star Auditorium

Introduction to the Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame Don and Shirley Nero of the OAAEHOF Friends Room

 

4-4:45 p.m.

Scholarly and Personal Study of Red Bird Oklahoma Katherine Baber 46 Star Auditorium

Building a Coalition: Stillwater's Washington School Dr. Laura Arata and Patrick Daglaris of Oklahoma State University Friends Room

 

 

Tables:

Institute for Quality Communities, University of Oklahoma

Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame

Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma Historical Society

Metropolitan Library System

Register for this event