John Hope Franklin
If you’d like to read more biographies of Oklahomans like John Hope Franklin’s Mirror to America, try…
Petticoats, Politics, and Pirouettes: Oklahoma Women from 1900 -1950 Glenda Carlile
From outlaws to showgirls… these are stories of Oklahoma women from 1900-1910. The collection includes prominent women politicians, writers, entertainers, activists, and other professionals.
Red Dirt: Growing up Okie Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.
Dunbar-Ortiz writes a candid, realistic portrait of poor rural whites during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl days. Based on stories she heard, the focus is on the strong and faithful communities of those times
LaDonna Harris: a Comanche Life Ladonna Harris
Explores the public and private experiences of LaDonna Harris, one of the country’s foremost American Indian female activists.
Ralph Ellison, a Biography Bob Burk & Denyvetta Davis
The definitive biography is of one of the most important American writers and cultural intellectuals of the twentieth century. Ellison wrote Invisible Man, the story of an innocent young black man’s search for truth and identity.
Rising in the West: the True Story of an “Okie” Family from the Great Depression through the Reagan Years Dan Morgan
Morgan chronicles the 1930’s life stories of two families, the Tathums and the Tacketts, who were part of the “Okie migration” westward. The “hard work” ethics and the determination of these Oklahoma prairie descendants led them to successful lives in the promised land.
A Passion for Equality: the Life of Jimmy Stewart Vicky Miles-Lagrange and Bob Burke
Highly respected for his integrity and his passion for equality, Stewart became a national NAACP leader and official with ONG at the forefront of the Oklahoma civil rights struggle.
Sooner or Later: Tales of a Pioneer Family Virginia Stumbough
Stumbough, born shortly after statehood, chronicles early Oklahoma family experiences in her collection of anecdotes, letters, diaries, and photo albums.
Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves Arthur Burton
This is the narrative of a former slave who became a famous U. S. deputy for a historic black town in Indian Territory days.
A Matter of Black and White: the Autobiography of Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and Danney Goble
After being denied admission to the University of Oklahoma Law School, Fisher became the plaintiff in the 1948 Oklahoma Supreme Court case, Sipuel v. University of Oklahoma Board of Regents. In this autobiography, she shares her life as an activist, attorney, and educator. This biography is an integral part of the story of civil rights in Oklahoma.
Alex Posey: Creek Poet, Journalist, and Humorist Daniel F. Littlefield, Jr.
As a political and educational leader, Alexander Posey stood out from his contemporaries. In addition to holding a seat in the Creek Legislature, he was editor of the Indian Journal of Eufaula and won fame as an Indian dialect writer.
Double Cousins Stories and Photos of Early-day Farm Life in the Cherokee Strip of Oklahoma with the Shuman and Waugh Families Meredith Waugh
Accounts of two unrelated families who move between Oklahoma and Colorado. When some of the children of the two families marry, then their children become “double cousins”.
The Names: a Memoir N. Scott Momaday
A deeply personal memoir of Momaday’s boyhood in Oklahoma and the Southwest. A fascinating narrative, which includes family photos, for readers who wish to have a glimpse of the Native American way of life.
Miz Lucy's Cookies: and Other Links in My Black Family Support System Eddie Faye Gates
In Gates’ own words, she has written her “cultural autobiography.” The narrative about growing up as the daughter of sharecroppers in rural Oklahoma in the 1930-40’s focuses on strong family values, traditions and resiliency.
Staking a Claim: Jake Simmons and the Making of an African- American Oil Dynasty Jonathan D. Greenberg
Around the turn of the century, many ancestors of former slaves in Oklahoma Territory leased their lands for oil exploration. Simmons’ entrepreneurial spirit helped him to achieve success as an oil broker, even expanding his operations into post colonial Africa. As a “crusader for human dignity,” he also achieved political success and served as the head of the NAACP in the late 1930’s.
Additional References:
- www.tulsalibrary.org/research/ Online databases, web sites, books, pathfinders, and vertical file sources.
- www.okreadsok.org/ Statewide literary celebration to mark Oklahoma’s Centennial
- www.tulsalibrary.org/tulsahistory Access to accurate, comprehensive, and meaningful historical information for Tulsa County communities and the surrounding area