Focus: Black Oklahoma

Focus: Black Oklahoma is a news and public affairs program covering topics relevant to the African American and BIPOC communities statewide. The show seeks to inform the public through stories and interviews, engage the community through lively discussion, and spotlight local artists and creators.

Focus: Black Oklahoma is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 94 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Focus: Black Oklahoma, a news show with 94 episodes published.

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  Episode #9

  Episode 69- Osage language immersion school, absentee ballots, & more

  Sep 29, 202650 minS6

  A difficult chapter is unfolding for Osage language preservation in Oklahoma. The Osage language immersion school in Pawhuska, a program created to help a new generation learn and carry forward the language of the Osage people, is closing its doors. The decision has sparked questions about the future of language revitalization and the challenges of sustaining Indigenous education programs. Here’s FBO’s Roma Carter with the part one of her story. Oklahoma is one of a small number of states that requires voters who return absentee ballots by mail to have their signatures notarized, or to follow other specific procedures depending on the type of absentee ballot. The requirement is intended to help verify a voter’s identity and protect the integrity of elections—but it can also raise questions about access, convenience, and whether every voter has the same ability to navigate the process. Here’s FBO’s Nick Alexandrov with more. What happens when music, community, entrepreneurship, and mental health come together under one roof? That’s part of the vision behind rapper Pusha T’s Cousinz Con Festival. While the festival features music and entertainment, its programming also creates space for conversations about mental health, wellness, business, and entrepreneurship. FBO’s Zaakirah Muhammad reports from Norfolk, Virginia as she looks at Cousinz Con not simply as a festival, but as a space for connection and exchange. The Greenwood District in Tulsa is once again becoming a gathering place for storytellers, filmmakers, artists, and community members. Black Wall Street Nation, taking place September 25th-27th will bring musicians, filmmakers, beauty professionals, student-athletes and community together around a shared ambition: more people earning from their talent and owning what they build. This event brings a creative celebration to the historic Greenwood District, featuring film screenings, conversations with filmmakers, and opportunities to connect through the power of storytelling. Friday will feature all things film, with a special evening performance by Hip Hop legend MC Lyte. Saturday will dive into the business side of film and move into the music. Special guest Wale will headline and close out Saturday's experience. Sunday closes with a brunch catered by Chef Chad Cherry and a superjam featuring gospel artists Erica Campbell of Mary Mary, Lena Byrd Miles, Carson Barnes, and Lisa Page Brooks. Soul and jazz music will be included as well. There will also be opportunities for writers, beauty professionals and student-athletes to build skills, credentials and industry relationships. This festival creates a space where film and music becomes more than entertainment—it becomes a way to explore history, identity, culture, and the experiences that shape communities. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit https://blackwallstreetnation.us/ Food can tell us where we come from, who we are, and what we hope to pass on to the next generation. In Tulsa, Chef Chad Cherry is bringing those ideas to the forefront through the second State of Black Food Summit—a gathering focused on Black foodways, culinary traditions, entrepreneurship, and the people shaping the future of food. FBO’s Quraysh Ali Lansana takes a closer look at the State of Black Food Summit, which is part of the Black Wall Street Nation Festival, in his interview with Chef Cherry. https://chefkulture.com/about-sobf Ladies leave your aunts at home for this next story by Sondra Slade about her first outing to the club at the tender age of 15. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio & Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the Commemoration Fund & Press Forward. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma 's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana & Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Jesse Ulrich, & Naomi Agnew. You can visit us online at KOSU.org or FocusBlackOklahoma.com & on YouTube @TriCityCollectiveOK. You can follow us on Instagram @FocusBlackOK & on Facebook at Facebook.com/FocusBlackOK. You can hear Focus: Black Oklahoma on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. https://linktr.ee/focusblackok

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #260201

  Notarizing Democracy - A Notary's Notes on Notarization

  Sep 8, 20266 minS2026

  This is a short piece taken from our podcast "Notarizing Democracy: Why Oklahoma Makes Absentee Voters Take an Extra Step" which you can listen to on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is our second quarterly Snapshot story for 2026. We took you to the Admiral corridor for the first installment, when we explored Mental Health on the Margins. This time, our focus is on elections. We wanted to explore one part of the process that feels pretty unique to Oklahoma. One that makes voting for the U.S. president, or a U.S. Senator, or a state legislator or county district attorney, feel different here than it does in other states. In this episode we explore the absentee voting process in Oklahoma. FBO’s Nick Alexandrov spent the past several months covering the absentee voting process in Oklahoma and what makes this state’s process unique. This special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma is part of a larger Voting Guide quarterly effort from Oklahoma media. Find the rest of the quarterly and more stories and coverage from Tulsa Flyer, The Oklahoma Eagle, KOSU, La Semana, and The Frontier at https://tulsaflyer.org/snapshot/mental-health/. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU, Tulsa Flyer, & Tri-City Collective. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. This episode was reported and written by Nick Alexandrov. The production team for this special quarterly edition of Focus: Black Oklahoma are Quraysh Ali Lansana, Bracken Klar, & Jesse Ulrich. You can visit us online at or FocusBlackOklahoma.com, & on YouTube @TriCityCollectiveOK. You can follow us on Instagram @FocusBlackOK & on Facebook at Facebook.com/FocusBlackOK. You can hear Focus: Black Oklahoma on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. https://linktr.ee/focusblackok

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #8

  Episode 68

  Aug 27, 202651 minS6

  In Owasso, two quarries are seeking special exceptions to allow limestone mining in land currently zoned for agriculture. It is proposed to be located only 425 feet away from some residents' homes. A group of locals has banded together to fight against the encroaching quarries and push for policy change to protect others in the future. Their current success, however, lies in the hands of former mayor of Tulsa, William Lafortune, now a district judge, who is overseeing one quarry company's appeal to overturn a ruling made in favor of residents. Aristotle Orsini spoke with some of those impacted. In North Tulsa, a new elder nutrition program is bringing more than meals to Cherokee Freedmen elders, it’s creating an opportunity for connection, community, and care. Deon Osborne explores the launch of this new initiative, the needs it hopes to address, and the people working to make sure Cherokee Freedmen elders in North Tulsa have access to both nutritious food and a stronger sense of community. What does it mean to live in a place that was never meant to feel like home? Across the country, extended stay hotels have become a last resort for individuals and families navigating housing instability. Behind those doors are stories often overlooked: of stress, isolation, resilience, and the quiet toll that instability takes on mental health. For those living on the margins, where access to care is limited and community can feel out of reach, how do people cope—and what support truly exists? FBO's Nick Alexandrov reports from East Tulsa. The world’s biggest sporting event arrived in Texas, bringing the excitement and energy of the FIFA World Cup to Dallas. For Texans, this was more than a series of football / soccer matches, it was a chance to experience a truly global event in their own backyard, bringing together fans, cultures, and communities from around the world. Phil Childs explores how the FIFA World Cup created a sense of celebration across North Texas. A new anthology published by OK Stamp Press asks what the future might look like through Indigenous eyes. Each short story in the compilation From the Heart of Our Nations is set 250 years in the future and written by Indigenous writers in their teens to early thirties. FBO spoke with editor Kashonah Notah and project creator Rebecca Nagle, both are Tulsa Artist Fellows, about the origins of the collection, which can be purchased at Magic City Books in Tulsa.

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  Episode #7

  Episode 67-

  Jul 25, 202649 minS6

  Recently, the United States marked its 250th birthday and celebrated the Fourth of July. While many Americans reflected on the nation's founding ideals of freedom, liberty, and independence, for others, the holiday raised more complicated questions. FBO’s Roma Carter explores the varied meanings of America's 250th anniversary, examining how Indigenous and Black communities engage with the nation's past, commemorate their own histories, and envision a more inclusive understanding of what freedom and citizenship can mean. Not every disability can be seen. While wheelchairs, service animals, and other visible markers often shape our understanding of disability, millions of people live with conditions that are largely invisible to those around them. Their stories challenge us to rethink what disability looks like and remind us that not all struggles are visible to the naked eye. Zaakirah Muhammad has the story. Trauma doesn’t just live in our memories—it lives in the body. For many Black people, generations of stress, survival, and systemic harm are carried in muscle, breath, and nervous systems long after the moment has passed. Somatic therapy asks a different kind of healing question: not just what happened to you , but what is your body still holding? Alana Mbanza continues her coverage on somatic therapy and why reconnecting with the Black body is a powerful, and often overlooked, path toward restoration and wholeness. What does it mean to live in a place that was never meant to feel like home? Across the country, extended stay hotels have become a last resort for individuals and families navigating housing instability. Behind those doors are stories often overlooked: of stress, isolation, resilience, and the quiet toll that instability takes on mental health. For those living on the margins, where access to care is limited and community can feel out of reach, how do people cope—and what support truly exists? Nick Alexandrov gives us a look at Mental Health on the Margins. This Quick Hit is a segment from a special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma, which is part of a larger quarterly effort from Oklahoma Media addressing mental health. Find the rest of the quarterly stories and more coverage from Tulsa Flyer, The Oklahoma Eagle, KOSU, La Semana, and The Frontier at tulsaflyer.org . History often reaches us through textbooks, photographs, and commemorations. But sometimes, the most powerful connection to the past comes through a voice. We turn to rare audio recordings of Civil Rights icon Clara Luper, and her daughter, Marilyn Luper Hildreth, as they reflect on their experiences in the Oklahoma City Civil Rights Movement and the convictions that drove their activism. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio & Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the Commemoration Fund & Press Forward. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma 's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana & Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Jesse Ulrich & Naomi Agnew. Our production interns are Roma Carter, Jess Grimes, & Anna Wilson. You can visit us online at KOSU.org or FocusBlackOklahoma.com & on YouTube @TriCityCollectiveOK . You can follow us on Instagram @FocusBlackOK & on Facebook at Facebook.com/FocusBlackOK. You can hear Focus: Black Oklahoma on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org , or wherever you get your podcasts. https://linktr.ee/focusblackok

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #2602

  Notarizing Democracy: Why Oklahoma Makes Absentee Voters Take an Extra Step

  Jul 22, 20261h 2mS2026

  This special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma, Notarizing Democracy: Why Oklahoma Makes Absentee Voters Take an Extra Step is our second quarterly Snapshot story for 2026. We took you to the Admiral corridor for the first installment, when we explored Mental Health on the Margins . This time, our focus is elections. We wanted to explore one part of the process that feels pretty unique to Oklahoma. One that makes voting for the U.S. president, a U.S. Senator, a state legislator, or county district attorney, feel different here than it does in other states. That’s why this show is about absentee ballots—and, in particular, the fact that if you’re going to mail yours in, you have to get it notarized first. Nick Alexandrov spent the past several months reporting this story for Focus: Black Oklahoma . This special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma is part of a larger quarterly effort from Oklahoma media covering voting and elections. Find the rest of the quarterly and more stories and coverage from Tulsa Flyer, The Oklahoma Eagle, KOSU, La Semana, and The Frontier at https://tulsaflyer.org/snapshot/mental-health/. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU, Tulsa Flyer, & Tri-City Collective. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. The production team for this special quarterly edition of Focus: Black Oklahoma are Quraysh Ali Lansana, Bracken Klar, & Jesse Ulrich. Voice actors appearing in this special episode are Grant Jenkins, Ella Hampton, Lori Lansana, G Vickers, Zelda Doolittle, Carlos Moreno, Juddie Williams, Naomi Agnew, & Aristotle Orsini. You can visit us online at or FocusBlackOklahoma.com, & on YouTube @TriCityCollectiveOK. You can follow us on Instagram @FocusBlackOK & on Facebook at Facebook.com/FocusBlackOK. You can hear Focus: Black Oklahoma on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. https://linktr.ee/focusblackok

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