The African American Civil Rights Movement in Oklahoma

Activities

Clara Luper Radio Show Activity

Listen to Clara Luper's radio show on YouTube

After listening to a few minutes of at least two of the radio shows, answer the following questions:

  1. What are the similarities of the radio shows you listened to?
  2. What are the differences of the radio shows you listened to?
  3. What is significant about Clara Luper?
  4. Why do you think her radio show was so important?
  5. Compare Clara Luper's radio shows with radio of today. What is the same? What is different?

Lunch or Playground Activity

Sometimes at lunch we sit with our same friends every day. On the playground or during free time, we play or hang out only with our friends. However, when we do not make an effort to be friends with other people, we lose the opportunity to learn about other people and make new friends. When we meet and talk with others, we learn to respect and appreciate other people, and maybe even make new friends!

From "Teaching Tolerance," Southern Poverty Law Center (accessed October 18, 2016).


Reading Primary Documents Activity

Primary sources are writings, recordings, or artifacts from a particular time period a historian is studying. These are first-hand interpretations of events that happened in that particular time period. For this activity, you will use two different newspapers as your primary documents, comparing and contrasting the two.

Before reading the articles, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Who wrote this article?
  2. What is the author's perspective?
  3. Why was it written?
  4. When was it written?
  5. Is it a reliable source? Why or why not?

Read the articles objectively, and answer the following questions in complete sentences.

  1. Who is the editor of the Black Dispatch?
  2. According to the Black Dispatch, what started the riot in Tulsa?
  3. According to the Tulsa World, what started the riot in Tulsa?
  4. What is different about the accounts in each paper?
  5. What are the similarities?
  6. Do you think these are reliable sources? Why or why not?

Read these articles:
"$2,500,000 of Negro Property is Destroyed"
"75 Dead in Race War"


Create an Oklahoma Holiday

In 1981, Hannah Atkins helped Oklahoma make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state-wide holiday in honor of his legacy in the Civil Rights Movement. Based on the biographies and stories you read on this website, choose an Oklahoma civil rights leader you believe deserves their own special day. Research the leader of your choice and create a poster that symbolizes their contribution to Oklahoma and why you think they should have their own holiday. Present your poster to your class or a partner. Be sure to view other students' posters and ask questions. At the end of class, have other students vote on who they think should have their own Oklahoma holiday and who had the most creative poster.


Struggle and Hope Watching and Writing Activity

The Struggle and Hope YouTube channel includes short videos about Oklahoma's historic All-Black towns. Watch two to three films on the towns of your choice, then answer the following questions in complete sentences.

  1. What do these towns have in common, besides that they were founded as All-Black towns?
  2. Why were these towns founded?
  3. How many people live in these towns now?
  4. Why do you think it is important to learn about these towns?