Advertise on podcast: Focus: Black Oklahoma

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

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

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. 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

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

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

This is a short piece taken from our podcast "Walking the Margins: Mental Health & Housing Precarity Along Admiral" which you can listen to on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. A motel room. The interstate. Winter wind. Days of walking with no plan but to witness life on the street. Nick Alexandrov set out to report on mental health along an extended-stay motel corridor in Tulsa. What he found was a quieter, more elusive, more human story. Unfolding on sidewalks, overpasses, church steps, and in fleeting conversations with people living outside. This quarterly feature asks: How does this environment produce its own kind of mental strain? How do people cope with that stress? And what if, rather than the other way around, housing insecurity itself helps drive mental distress and addiction? This special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma is part of a larger quarterly effort from Oklahoma media addressing mental health. 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. 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

This interview was taken from "Episode 66-Freedmen exclusion, Tulsa Food Not Bombs protest, & more" of Focus: Black Oklahoma. Music can entertain, inspire, and spark change—and few artists embody that power more than Rocky Dawuni. Born in Ghana and celebrated around the world, Dawuni blends Afro-roots music, reggae, and global influences to create songs that promote unity, social justice, and cultural understanding. During a recent stop at New York University, or NYU, Acra, FBO’s Zaakirah Muhammad profiles the artist, activist, and United Nations ambassador behind the music, exploring how his sound bridges continents and how his message continues to resonate with audiences across the globe. 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 Alexander Evans, 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

A court ruling affirming tribal authority over hunting and fishing rights on reservation lands has renewed conversations about sovereignty, citizenship, and belonging; It has also raised concerns among Freedmen descendants who remain excluded from certain tribal rights and benefits, including hunting and fishing privileges in some nations. Focus: Black Oklahoma correspondent Deon Osborne explores what justice looks like for descendants of formerly enslaved people who were once part of tribal communities. A recent protest organized by Tulsa's chapter of Food Not Bombs, or FNB, has renewed debate about free speech and public demonstration. What began as a public action focused on the issue of hunger ended with multiple arrests and citations issued to participants. What happened that day, and what does it reveal about the relationship between local government, law enforcement, and grassroots activism? FBO’s Aristotle Orsini has the story. 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? Here’s Nick Alexandrov with more. This segment is taken from a one hour podcast which is part of a larger quarterly effort from Oklahoma media addressing mental health. 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/. Each year Tulsa pauses to remember one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history—the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Today, that memory rests largely in the voice of one woman: Mother Lessie Benningfield Randle, the last known living survivor. Mother Randle has become a powerful advocate–testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on May 19, 2021, sharing her experiences, and calling attention to the lasting impact of the massacre more than a century after it occurred. Her testimony serves as both a personal account and a national challenge to remember, reckon with, and pursue justice. Music can entertain, inspire, and spark change—and few artists embody that power more than Rocky Dawuni. Born in Ghana and celebrated around the world, Dawuni blends Afro-roots music, reggae, and global influences to create songs that promote unity, social justice, and cultural understanding. During a recent stop at New York University, or NYU, Acra, FBO’s Zaakirah Muhammad profiles the artist, activist, and United Nations ambassador behind the music, exploring how his sound bridges continents and how his message continues to resonate with audiences across the globe. Sometimes love looks less like grand gestures and more like a long drive down the highway. When her son needed to move between Texas and Tulsa, one mother didn't hesitate—even though the car making the journey was far from road ready. Equiped with determination, patience, and a mother's unwavering commitment, Sondra Slade took on the challenge to help her son reach his next chapter. 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 Alexander Evans, 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

This is a short piece taken from our podcast "Walking the Margins: Mental Health & Housing Precarity Along Admiral" which you can listen to on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. A motel room. The interstate. Winter wind. Days of walking with no plan but to witness life on the street. Nick Alexandrov set out to report on mental health along an extended-stay motel corridor in Tulsa. What he found was a quieter, more elusive, more human story. Unfolding on sidewalks, overpasses, church steps, and in fleeting conversations with people living outside. This quarterly feature asks: How does this environment produce its own kind of mental strain? How do people cope with that stress? And what if, rather than the other way around, housing insecurity itself helps drive mental distress and addiction? This special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma is part of a larger quarterly effort from Oklahoma media addressing mental health. 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. 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

This is a short piece taken from our podcast "Walking the Margins: Mental Health & Housing Precarity Along Admiral" which you can listen to on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. A motel room. The interstate. Winter wind. Days of walking with no plan but to witness life on the street. Nick Alexandrov set out to report on mental health along an extended-stay motel corridor in Tulsa. What he found was a quieter, more elusive, more human story. Unfolding on sidewalks, overpasses, church steps, and in fleeting conversations with people living outside. This quarterly feature asks: How does this environment produce its own kind of mental strain? How do people cope with that stress? And what if, rather than the other way around, housing insecurity itself helps drive mental distress and addiction? This special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma is part of a larger quarterly effort from Oklahoma media addressing mental health. 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. 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

1:19 Bringing a child into the world should not come at the cost of a mother’s life. Yet in Ghana, many women continue to face significant challenges in accessing quality maternal healthcare. Behind the statistics are real stories of women, families, midwives, and healthcare workers navigating systems under pressure while working to ensure safer pregnancies and healthier futures. FBO’s Zaakirah Muhammad explores the realities of maternal health in Ghana, the cultural and structural factors shaping care, and the efforts underway to improve outcomes for mothers across the nation. 13:40 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? In this concluding part, Alana Mbanza explores somatic therapy and why reconnecting with the Black body is a powerful, and often overlooked, path toward restoration and wholeness. Listen to the first part of her story here. 23:53 Every movement carries echoes of the people who came before it. Today’s activists are organizing, protesting, educating, and building community while drawing strength from generations of civil rights leaders who fought for justice at great personal cost. But as hard-won protections, public histories, and equity initiatives face renewed challenges, many are asking: what does it mean to continue the work when so much of that progress feels under attack? FBO’s Francia Allen explores the topic with Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols and others. 33:02 The world’s biggest sporting event is coming to the U.S. (Mexico and Canada), bringing with it global attention, massive investment, and the promise of unforgettable moments. But for many fans, actually experiencing the FIFA World Cup in person may remain out of reach. Rising ticket prices, expensive travel, hotel costs, and limited accessibility are raising questions about who mega sporting events are really for. As cities prepare to welcome the world, what happens to the local fans and communities who helped grow the game in the first place? FBO’s Phil Childs explores the growing tension between global spectacle and public access—and asks whether the World Cup is becoming an experience reserved for those who can afford the price of admission. 42:24 We’ve all heard of Empty Nest Syndrome, but Sonda Slade experienced Half-Empty Nest Syndrome when her daughter transitioned from her child to her roommate. 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 Alexander Evans, 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

This is a short piece taken from our podcast "Walking the Margins: Mental Health & Housing Precarity Along Admiral" which you can listen to on demand at KOSU.org, the NPR app, NPR.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. A motel room. The interstate. Winter wind. Days of walking with no plan but to witness life on the street. Nick Alexandrov set out to report on mental health along an extended-stay motel corridor in Tulsa. What he found was a quieter, more elusive, more human story. Unfolding on sidewalks, overpasses, church steps, and in fleeting conversations with people living outside. This quarterly feature asks: How does this environment produce its own kind of mental strain? How do people cope with that stress? And what if, rather than the other way around, housing insecurity itself helps drive mental distress and addiction? This special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma is part of a larger quarterly effort from Oklahoma media addressing mental health. 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. 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

1:25 Telling the truth is becoming more complicated—and more costly. Across the country and around the world, journalists are facing growing pressure for simply doing their jobs, and in the midst of it all, student journalists are stepping into an increasingly fraught landscape. What does it mean to pursue the truth when the stakes feel higher than ever? And how is this next generation navigating a profession where the risks are no longer abstract, but immediate? Here are FBO’s Nico Berlin and Roma Carter with more. 12:03 What does Tulsa have in common with cosmopolitan destinations such as Buenos Aires, Berlin, Accra, Shanghai, and Sydney? Each city is home to a New York University Global Network University campus. FBO’s Zaakirah Muhammad has details. 23:23 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? 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. 27:42 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 explores somatic therapy and why reconnecting with the Black body is a powerful, and often overlooked, path toward restoration and wholeness. 35:47 In her memoir, Trying My Hardest, Stephanie Janet turns her real life medical trauma into a complex story addressing maternal health, chronic illness, grief, and resilience. Stephanie–speaker, author, and founder of the nonprofit The Mighty Heart Warrior Project, sat down with FBO’s Quraysh Ali Lansana to discuss her new text and ways the book may spark conversations that matter. 42:40 We’re honored to spotlight the work of a Tulsa treasure—Chief Egunwale Amusan whose scholarship and storytelling are reshaping how we understand this city’s past and present. His powerful book, America’s Black Wall Street: The Untold Story of Broken Treaties, Black Resistance, Political Fear, and Sacred Ground, goes beyond the headlines to reveal the deeper forces that shaped Greenwood’s rise, the brutal assault it endured, and the enduring legacy of resistance and resilience that still radiates from this sacred terrain. Here’s FBO’s G. Vickers. 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 Alexander Evans, 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

Walking the Margins: Mental Health & Housing Precarity Along Admiral A motel room. The interstate. Winter wind. Days of walking with no plan but to witness life on the street. Nick Alexandrov set out to report on mental health along an extended-stay motel corridor in Tulsa. What he found was a quieter, more elusive, more human story. Unfolding on sidewalks, overpasses, church steps, and in fleeting conversations with people living outside. This quarterly feature asks: How does this environment produce its own kind of mental strain? How do people cope with that stress? And what if, rather than the other way around, housing insecurity itself helps drive mental distress and addiction? This special episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma is part of a larger quarterly effort from Oklahoma media addressing mental health. 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. 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

2:01 In communities across the US, questions about immigration enforcement and civil rights grow louder. For many Hispanic and Latino families, those questions are paired with something more personal—fear. Venson Fields takes us inside a community forum where frustration, uncertainty, and resilience met in one room to ensure community voices are heard. 12:04 On college and university campuses, student organizations can often reflect the political conversations shaping the nation beyond the classroom. At the University of Tulsa, a newly chartered chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the organization founded by Charlie Kirk, is beginning to do just that. FBO’s Jess Grimes takes a look at how the campus community is responding. 27:04 In part two of her interview with Mike Appeal, Vice President of Spring Creek coalition, FBO’s Roma Carter continues exploring why the Arkansas based chicken poultry industry thrives on Oklahoma lands, and highlights sustainable ways rural citizens are maintaining their land. 34:10 Baseball has long been known as America’s pastime. But when you look at who’s playing the game—and where they come from—the picture is far more global than fans might expect. In the World Baseball Classic, national teams from around the world take the field, with players representing countries across Latin America, Asia, Europe, and North America. The contrast between a global tournament built around national identity and a professional league rooted in American sports culture reveals the shifting demographic of baseball itself. FBO’s Phil Childs explores how the World Baseball Classic showcases baseball’s international reach. 42:26 For many women, menopause marks a major transition—one that can bring physical changes, emotional shifts, and a new understanding of their bodies. Despite how common the experience is, conversations about menopause often remain quiet, private, or even stigmatized. For Sondra Slade, the journey into menopause brought unexpected challenges. Her story is one of adjustment, reflection, and learning to speak openly about an experience shared by millions of women. 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 Alexander Evans, 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