Legislation creates the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill highlighting Oklahoma’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement has been signed into law, with a Senate bill creating the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail.

Senate Bill 509 goes into effect July 1.

Oklahoma originally had more than 50 Black towns, 13 of which still exist today. SB 509 will connect all-Black towns and locations significant to the Civil Rights Movement, including many Native American sites of historical significance, stimulating tourism, fostering entrepreneurship, and promoting economic development within these communities, the bill’s authors say. The legislation creates the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail revolving fund, which will be administered by the Oklahoma Historical Society, into which state and federal funds as well as gifts and donations will be deposited to provide grant funding for the development of the trail and related attractions.

The Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail will begin at Standing Bear Park, Museum and Education Center in Ponca City, then proceed to the site of the 1920s “Osage Reign of Terror,” in Fairfax. The trail will continue through the state’s all-Black communities, which include Boley, Brooksville, Clearview, Grayson, Langston, Lima, Red Bird, Rentiesville, Summit, Taft, Tatums (located east of Velma on Oklahoma 7 in Carter County), Tullahassee and Vernon.

The trail then will move to Greenwood Rising and the Pathway to Hope in Tulsa before ending at the Clara Luper Center to be constructed in Oklahoma City.