Oklahoma, often overlooked and misunderstood, holds a vital key to understanding the complex narrative of America. A state marked by a history of violence, theft, and ambitious reinventions, Oklahoma’s story is a microcosm of the nation’s broader struggles and contradictions. This article delves into Oklahoma’s past, examining its fraught relationship with race, land ownership, and the persistent tension between progress and justice.
From the land runs that dispossessed Native American tribes to the dreams of a Black state envisioned by figures like Edward McCabe, Oklahoma embodies the American struggle between ambition and betrayal. Understanding Oklahoma means understanding America’s legacies and the ongoing debates that shape its identity.
This exploration will uncover the layers of Oklahoma’s history, revealing how its past continues to influence its present and why grasping its complexities is crucial for anyone seeking to understand the soul of America. Join us as we unpack the story of a state that doesn’t just reflect America but also challenges it.
Oklahoma’s Contentious Beginnings: The Land Run Re-enactment
Growing up in Oklahoma, my first real history lesson was both a source of pride and a stark reminder of the state’s complicated past. As an eight-year-old, my school organized a land run re-enactment, a common practice until 2014. We, the fourth graders, were thrust into the roles of pioneers, racing to claim plots of land, mirroring the historical land runs that shaped Oklahoma.
These land runs, conducted between 1889 and 1895, symbolized the opening of lands previously promised to Indigenous nations, only to be seized again for white settlement. What struck me, even as a child, was the sanitized version of history we were taught. The brutal displacement of Native populations was glossed over, replaced by a celebration of the pioneering spirit.
This experience encapsulates Oklahoma’s struggle with its own history. The disregard for the lives and rights of those on whose land the state was built was not an accidental oversight but a foundational element. The University of Oklahoma’s rallying cry, “Boomer Sooner!” celebrates those who either rushed in to claim land illegally (Sooners) or those who pushed for the opening of Native lands for white settlement (Boomers).
“During those history lessons, the ugliness was not even hiding in plain sight. The disregard for the lives on which the state was built was – and still is – a point of pride.”
This glorification of land theft and violence continues to shape the state’s identity, making it essential to confront these hard truths to build a more honest understanding of Oklahoma and America.
Reckoning with Oklahoma’s Contradictions: The Struggle for Pride
For much of my life, I struggled to take pride in Oklahoma. The state’s history, marred by land theft, racial terror, and the erasure of Native American and Black experiences, seemed irreconcilable with any sense of belonging. The narrative I was taught in school and the stories celebrated in popular culture often felt like a whitewashed version of reality.
The real story was buried beneath a palatable narrative, where horrors were treated as little more than pit stops on the way to celebrating homesteaders. Land theft from Native nations, the displacement of Black families, the racial terror that shadowed statehood – these were footnotes, if they were mentioned at all.
However, over time, it was precisely those harder truths that gave me something solid to stand on. That reckoning – naming the harm, sitting with its consequences – is not just about the past. It’s a tool we need now, in 2025, when the country is suspended between two impulses: nostalgia and denial.
Across the nation, the fight over whose history counts is really a fight over who gets to claim America. The violence that birthed Oklahoma was not incidental, it was foundational. And unless we confront that, there’s no building anything real.
It was through grappling with these complexities that I began to find a deeper connection to Oklahoma. Recognizing the state’s contradictions—the violence and the love, the buried history and the stubborn hope—allowed me to see it more clearly.
Oklahoma’s Reinvention: Reversing the Brain Drain
Growing up, Oklahoma was a place many, including myself, couldn’t wait to leave. The lure of bigger cities and perceived opportunities elsewhere led to a significant brain drain. Dallas and Houston seemed almost idyllic: more affordable than New York or Los Angeles while still offering an upgraded version of a lifestyle we were already familiar with.
Downtown Tulsa felt frozen in amber, a relic of its “oil capital of the world” heyday, long faded. The place felt ghostly. To me, its nightlife, diversity, direct flights and appetite for progress were all but nonexistent. Until recently, Oklahoma had not had a major-league sports team – though the Oklahoma City Thunder recently broke through, winning the 2025 NBA finals. What professional sports teams we had were literally and colloquially minor, baseball teams with stadiums that left much to be desired.
However, in the decade since I left, Oklahoma has been refashioning its cities, courting new talent, and, according to the Kansas City Federal Reserve, beginning to reverse its long-running brain drain. College graduates like me once left in droves. Now, it seems that the tide is shifting.
Efforts to revitalize Tulsa and Oklahoma City have included initiatives to attract artists, teachers, and entrepreneurs, offering financial incentives and opportunities. Even remote workers with no ties to the state can receive $10,000 or help with a down payment, just for showing up and staying for a year. Convenient, when the airport now offers direct flights to places my younger self could only dream about: New York, Miami, Los Angeles.
“Reinvention has always been part of Oklahoma’s playbook. Again and again, the state has tried to become something new by recruiting outsiders, whether settlers in the land runs or now digital nomads with graduate degrees, while asking far less of itself when it comes to honoring the people and histories already here.”
These changes reflect a broader effort to redefine Oklahoma’s image and attract new residents, yet questions remain about whether these efforts address the underlying issues facing longtime residents.
Edward McCabe: The Moses of Oklahoma’s All-Black Towns
To truly understand Oklahoma, one must delve into the story of Edward McCabe, a visionary who sought to create a Black state within the US. In the 1880s, McCabe, the first Black statewide elected official in the old west, came to the Oklahoma territory with a vision so bold it startled both Black allies and white detractors: a state colonized by Black people, governed by their own hands, and as McCabe promised, “unmolested by the selfish greed of the white man”.
McCabe envisioned a state where Black Americans could escape the racial terror and economic exploitation of the post-Reconstruction South. He promoted colonization while ignoring the fact that the land he hoped to reclaim for Black people had already been promised, stolen, and promised again to Indigenous nations. He stood at the nexus of Black aspiration and Native dispossession. And in doing so, he reflected the central American dilemma: that ambition will never be clean because the ground itself is stolen.
His dream was not just about survival but about sovereignty and self-determination. McCabe’s efforts led to the founding of several all-Black towns, havens where Black Americans could govern themselves and build free lives. His story, though marked by violence and ultimate erasure from civic memory, represents a powerful claim to belonging.
“McCabe’s dream of a Black-governed state was mocked, sabotaged and eventually erased from civic memory. But in the erasures, we find the outlines of what was feared: not just Black people having land, but Black people on their own terms.”
These towns, though no longer exclusively Black, stand as a testament to the enduring spirit of self-governance and the fight for autonomy in a land often hostile to Black aspirations.
Oklahoma as a Microcosm: Lessons for America
Oklahoma’s story offers crucial lessons for America as a whole. It reveals how ambition and betrayal, dreaming and dispossession, are intertwined in the nation’s DNA. The state’s history highlights the zero-sum politics that plague America today, pitting groups against each other in a struggle for resources and recognition.
Oklahoma has always been a place America used to test its next chapter. After Reconstruction failed, and the US government abandoned its promises to Native nations, parts of the territory were branded “no man’s land” – as if no person of value had ever lived there. But it was not empty; it was further removed. Oklahoma could have been a blueprint for belonging, a place carved out for those most marginalized: Black people fleeing racial terror, Native nations pushed from their homelands, immigrants seeking a foothold.
By confronting its past, Oklahoma can pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable future. If we are serious about holding this country together, we have to reckon with the real American inheritance, where ambition and betrayal, dreaming and dispossession, are not opposite. They are co-tenants.
“It matters that this particular expression of Black belonging emerged not in areas with longstanding, high concentrations of Black people – but in a place where white America was still shaping into its newest frontier”
Oklahoma’s journey is a reminder that place matters, not just as geography but as a reflection of our values and priorities. By acknowledging the complexities of its history, Oklahoma can serve as a model for the nation in reconciling with its past and building a more just society.
Conclusion: Oklahoma’s Enduring Legacy
Oklahoma’s story is a compelling and complex reflection of America’s own struggles and aspirations. From the land runs to the vision of Edward McCabe, the state’s history reveals the intertwined legacies of ambition, violence, and reinvention. Understanding Oklahoma provides a crucial lens for understanding the broader American narrative and the ongoing debates that shape its identity.
The key takeaways from Oklahoma’s journey include the importance of confronting difficult truths, the recognition of historical injustices, and the need for inclusive narratives that honor all voices. By embracing its complexities, Oklahoma can pave the way for a more equitable and just future, serving as a model for the nation in reconciling with its past.
As we move forward, it is essential to remember that Oklahoma is more than just a place on the map; it is a living testament to the enduring spirit of those who sought to create a better world, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Its story is a reminder that true progress requires a willingness to reckon with our past and to build a future where belonging is not a privilege but a right for all.
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