Join us as we tip off our celebration of Black History Month by showcasing Langston University, Oklahoma’s only historically Black college/university (HBCU) and the HBCU culture during our Feb. 2 game against the Charlotte Hornets at Paycom Center. 

Black History Month Origin
Black History Month was first initiated in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson as Negro History Week to celebrate contributions by African Americans. Since 1976, the U.S. has celebrated Black History Month in February. Other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.

Langston University
Langston University is among 107 colleges in the U.S. recognized as a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Founded in 1897, Langston is Oklahoma’s only HBCU and operates three campuses in Langston, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

First Woman Officially Drafted in the NBA
Lusia “Lucy” Harris was the first and only woman to be officially drafted into the NBA in 1977 by the New Orleans Jazz. Though she decided not to play for the Jazz at the time, Harris later played in the Women’s Professional Basketball League and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

First Black Female Mayor
Elected as mayor of Taft, Oklahoma in 1973, Leila Davis was the first Black woman mayor in the country.

All-Black Towns in Oklahoma
From 1865 to 1920 African Americans created more than 50 towns and settlements in Oklahoma – the most all-Black towns in the country. There are 13 towns remaining in the state that were first established as all-Black including Boley, Langston, Taft, and others.

Emmit J. McHenry
Businessperson, engineer Emmit J. McHenry is a pioneer in computer science. McHenry, who grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, created the code for what we know today as dot com which allows the world to email, and to search and communicate through the internet.

Deep Deuce
Deep Deuce is known for its historical importance as the center for Black culture in Oklahoma City in the 1920s and 30s. The area grew to become a local hub for legendary blues and jazz musicians such as Charlie Christian and Jimmy Rushing.

Clara Luper
Educator and Oklahoma Native Clara Luper is now known as one of the country’s most important civil rights activists. In 1958, she led one of the first sit-ins in the nation at Katz Drug Store in downtown Oklahoma City which led to the desegregation of all Katz locations.

The Greenwood District of Tulsa
Tulsa’s Greenwood District, more commonly known as Black Wall Street, was an affluent, 35-block African American community on the outskirts of downtown Tulsa in the early 20th century. The richest African American neighborhood in North America was home to Black-owned shops, salons, restaurants, movie houses and grocers, as well as Black doctors, dentists, and lawyers.

Juneteenth
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to ensure freedom for enslaved people. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest running African American holiday.

Homer Plessy Pardon
Earlier this year, Louisiana’s governor posthumously pardoned Homer Plessy, the Black man whose arrest for refusing to leave a whites-only railroad car in 1892 led to the Supreme Court ruling that cemented “separate but equal” into U.S. law.

George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver, an African American scientist and educator developed 300 derivative products from peanuts such as cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastics, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils, and cosmetics.

Black Woman the Lead Scientist on Moderna Vaccine Development
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, an African American viral immunologist and research fellow is the lead scientist on the team that developed the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.

Urban League
The Urban League of Greater OKC works to bring social and economic equality to our community. The League was instrumental in the hiring of the City’s first African American firefighters, nurses, and bus drivers. More than 75 years later, the League continues to provide critical services in education, workforce development, affordable housing, and social justice.

Solomon Sir Jones
Muskogee minister and businessperson Solomon Sir Jones is widely recognized as the creator of one of the most significant records of Black culture in the late 1920s. His collection of films documented life in Black Oklahoma communities from 1924-28. His 29 films are preserved at Yale and are part of the collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Thunder Fellows
Located in the historic Greenwood District of Tulsa, Thunder Fellows is unlocking opportunities in sports, entertainment, and technology for local Black students. The free after-school program provides students with access to a uniquely tailored data and analytics curriculum, hands-on experiences, mentors, and professional coaching.