Revival to examine the past and reimagine the future of Oklahoma's Black towns
An event focusing on Oklahoma's historic Black towns is set for Friday through Monday in and around Tulsa.
Cymone Davis, chief executive officer of Black Towns Municipal Management, said the Black Towns Revival Weekend will include discussions about economic redevelopment and reimagining the future of Oklahoma's Black towns. Along the way, attendees will visit several of the surviving Black townships, including Boley, Clearview and Tullahassee.
The event will kick off Friday at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 310 E Archer, with activities to include a Black Wall Street tour. Davis said activities on Saturday include breakfast in Boley, lunch and a tour of Tullahassee. These events will be followed Saturday evening with the premiere of the documentary "It Takes a Village" and a Black towns in Oklahoma question-and-answer session. A church service and brunch on Sunday will be followed by a tour of Clearview.
Davis said the event will culminate with a breakfast session on Monday — a wrap-up session in which attendees will discuss the tangible ways they can lead in the development of Black towns and the communities they come from.
Oklahoma was home to most all-Black towns in the United States
Oklahoma was home to the most all-Black towns in America, with more than 50 of them in the early part of the 20th century. In addition to the three Black towns that will be toured during the revival weekend event, other surviving Black towns include Langston, Brooksville, Lima, Red Bird, Rentiesville, Grayson, Taft, Summit, Tatums and Vernon.
Davis, a native of Missouri, came to Oklahoma in 2020 through the Tulsa Remote Program and served for a time as town manager for Tullahassee, the oldest of the surviving Black townships in the state. She said she initially came to Oklahoma because of her goal to open a Black boarding school.
She eventually became immersed in the history of the Black townships in the state and felt there was much interest in Oklahoma's Black history, particularly during the 2021 centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Davis said she feels the time is right to shine a spotlight on the Black towns for revival and "resurgence" efforts.
Davis' Black Towns Municipal Management serves as coordinating sponsor of revival weekend activities. Other sponsors include United Church of Christ Church Building & Loan Fund, Bois & Peters LLC and The Congressional Black Caucus for New Urbanism.
Davis said there will be plenty of opportunities for networking and learning about the Black towns' histories and cultures.
Admission to the premiere of "It Takes a Village" at 7 p.m. Saturday is free. Black Towns Revival Weekend tickets range from $25 to $75. Davis said cost to attend all revival weekend activities is $75, including meals and transportation from Tulsa to the Black towns where tours are scheduled. Costs to attend some activities on an a la carte basis range from $25 to $50.
For more information, go to https://blacktownsrw.com/.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gathering is set for Oklahoma's Black towns 'revival weekend'
