African Americans in Oklahoma

African Americans in Oklahoma

Elderly African American Sharecroppers in 1914
Total population
289,961 (7.8% of the population)

African Americans in Oklahoma or Black Oklahomans are residents of the state of Oklahoma who are of African American ancestry. African Americans have a rich history in Oklahoma.^[1][2] An estimated 7.8% of Oklahomans are Black as of the 2020 census, constituting 289,961 individuals.^[3]

African-Americans first settled in Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears. While many of these people were enslaved Africans, around 500 chose to do so in order to escape slavery.^[4] During the 19th century, pre-statehood Oklahoma was viewed as desirable for settlement by African-Americans seeking political freedom in the American Frontier.^[5] Prior to the institution of Jim Crow laws, multiple Black Oklahomans had served in the territorial legislature.^[6]

Oklahoma began instituting Jim Crow legislation in 1897, banning miscegenation and segregating Oklahoma's schools. Racism against Black Oklahomans has been common throughout the state's history, manifesting itself in scenarios such as the Tulsa race massacre, which targeted members of Tulsa's affluent African-American Greenwood District.^[7] Today, 13 of the over-50 settlements founded by Black Oklahomans still exist.^[8]