Press Release
February 17, 2023
Contact: Kristina Wyckoff
State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-521-6381
kristina.wyckoff@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/shpo
SHPO Schedules Presentation on Oklahoma Black Homesteader Project
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will host Dr. Kalenda Eaton for a free webinar on Thursday, February 23, to discuss the Oklahoma Black Homesteader Project.
The presentation, titled “Turning Records into an Archive: A Reflection on the Oklahoma Black Homesteader Project,” starts at 12 p.m. Registration is required.
Over the past year, a small team of scholars worked to piece together an intriguing history of hope, migration, settlement, perseverance and politics on the Plains. The Oklahoma Black Homesteader Project, led by Dr. Eaton, was created to research and organize the experiences of African Americans who entered Oklahoma Territory from 1889-1920 and directly benefitted from the Federal Homestead Act of 1862. The presentation will include a brief description of the project, a discussion of the process and methodology, a few surprise findings and a reflection on the digital archives’ role in making rural western Black history visible.
Dr. Eaton is the director of Oklahoma research for the Black Homesteaders Project and an associate professor of African and African American studies at the University of Oklahoma. She is known for her teaching and public scholarship on what the experiences of African Americans living on the Great Plains can tell us about American cultural and national politics.
For more information contact Kristina Wyckoff, historical archaeologist and Section 106 coordinator, at 405-521-6381 or kristina.wyckoff@history.ok.gov.
The State Historic Preservation Office is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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