'Black History Day' at the Oklahoma State Capitol; Mayor Monroe Nichols keynote speaker

Dozens of people are celebrating Black History Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, who was a legislator before he became mayor, was the keynote speaker at the event.

STUDENTS LEARNING

The Capitol was full of people who came to hear from leaders on Black History Day.

Tuesday was fifth-grader Auriana Morgan’s first trip to the Capitol.

“This is a cool place and we learn stuff that people are doing,” said Morgan.

She’s learning about stories from the past and history in the making.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

“For the first time in Tulsa’s 136-year history, that future is represented in the mayor’s office by a black man,” said Nichols.

Nichols talked to the crowd about Oklahoma leaders who came before him and how important Black history is to this state.

“Challenging separate but equal, challenging things at the lunch counters, the fact that we built Greenwood,” said Nichols. “More black towns than anywhere else in the country. Oklahoma has a special place in American history but even a special place in Black History.”

He wants people to know they can make a difference.

“I hope they understand that they have all the power within them to do all the amazing things that they’re going to do in their lifetime,” said Nichols. “They have an obligation to make sure that with the legacy of all the amazing people who have come before them, they’re going to make this mark on their community and I’m very excited about it.”

INSPIRING A COMMUNITY

Ckai Dawson, who lives in Oklahoma City, says she enjoyed listening to Nichols’s speech and is proud to see him representing the Black community.

“He’s very inspiring,” said Dawson. “So eloquent. Everything that he has to say about elevating not just Tulsa but elevating the status of Oklahoma as a whole, is wonderful for me. So that’s why I loved it.”

She hopes the kids in the crowd also know they can do anything they want to.

“It’s just what he represents,” said Dawson. “It’s lovely to see someone that little black boys and little black girls can aspire to.”

NEXT STEPS

This is the third time this event has happened at the Capitol and it happens every year.