Focus: Black Oklahoma

KOSU
  • 5.0 (12)
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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.

  1. APR 27

    Episode 64-Student journalism, mental health, somatic therapy

    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

    52 min

  2. MAR 23

    Walking the Margins: Mental Health & Housing Precarity Along Admiral

    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 TulsaFlyer.org. 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.

    1 hr

  3. MAR 21

    Episode 63-Enid's Hispanic community, Turning Point USA in Tulsa, menopause

    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

    51 min

  4. FEB 20

    Episode 62-Alzheimer's, homelessness, Tulsa's World Stage Theatre Company

    00:50 For many families, Alzheimer’s doesn’t arrive all at once—it creeps in through forgotten names, missed appointments, and the quiet heartbreak of watching someone you love slip away. In the Black community, the disease hits harder and earlier. Zaakirah Muhammad has a story about Alzheimer’s—not just as a medical condition, but as a community issue that demands visibility, resources, and compassion. 14:02 In part one of Anna Wilson's story, we heard the numbers, and the stories behind them, revealing how queer youth in Oklahoma are disproportionately pushed to the margins, often with nowhere safe to land. In part two, we go beyond the statistics to find young people navigating rejection, resilience, and survival in a state where support can feel scarce. 25:55 In May of 2025, Oklahoma passed House Bill 1588, creating the Spring Creek Watershed Study Act, to address waterway contamination from poultry farm waste in northeastern Oklahoma. The bill’s passage is due in part to a local non-profit which has worked for decades to protect the Spring Creek Watershed. This month, Roma Carter has the first part of the story. 37:32 On a small stage in Tulsa, big stories are being told—stories of Black womanhood, survival, joy, and reckoning. World Stage Theater is bringing a bold new production to life with For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf a production of Ntozake Shange’s 1976 groundbreaking choreopoem. First written to give voice to what was too often silenced, the work still resonates decades later. Kelli McCloud-Schingen, executive director of World Stage Theater, discusses how this production honors Shange’s legacy while simultaneously speaking directly to the current moment. 41:12 Black history isn’t only marked by struggle—it’s also filled with moments of laughter, brilliance, and pride that stay with us for a lifetime. In this story, Sondra Slade brings us back to a personal remembrance, but also a shared one, echoing the quiet questions and powerful affirmations that shape how we come to know ourselves. 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

    53 min

  5. JAN 21

    Episode 61-Pancreatic cancer, homelessness, college athletics

    1:11 A 2016 study published in The Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association found that pancreatic cancer was the fourth most common cause of cancer death in Oklahoma from 2008 to 2012. FBO’s Zaakirah Muhammad examines why this cancer hits Black communities harder, what warning signs often go unheard, and how awareness, advocacy, and early action can save lives. 14:58 In communities across Oklahoma, far too many young people are facing nights without a safe place to sleep. For queer youth, the risk of homelessness is even greater—driven by family rejection, discrimination, and a shortage of supportive services. This isn’t just a statistic; it’s a crisis that affects real kids in our neighborhoods. Anna Wilson shines a light on queer youth homelessness right here in Oklahoma. 29:21 College football has entered a new era—one where name, image, and likeness, or NIL, deals have changed the business of the game. But for Black athletes playing on predominantly white campuses, the NIL era brings both opportunity and complication. FBO’s Phil Childs shares the stories of two former college football athletes who unpack the realities behind the headlines. 37:12 In part 2 of Sondra Slade’s story on the unveiling of Clara Luper’s statue in downtown Oklahoma City, she gets personal with Marilyn Luper Hildreth, Luper’s daughter and one of the original 13 sit-inners. Slade also gains insight from sculptor Elliot Schwartz about his process, challenges faced, and what this project means to him. 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

    52 min

  6. 12/24/2025

    Episode 60-College journalism, breast cancer inequities, Clara Luper's legacy

    2:02 In part two of her look at the growing wave of attacks on free speech across college campuses, Nico Berlin takes us inside the story of the Maneater, the University of Missouri’s printed newspaper which switched to a digital only platform in May 2023 after nearly seven decades of publication. In her story, she reminds us that printed newspapers are significant because they make truth tangible. 11:18 Breast cancer touches families across every community, yet the burden of this disease is not shared equally. For Black women, a breast cancer diagnosis too often carries higher stakes, revealing how survival is shaped not only by biology, but by history, access, and justice. This disparity reflects deeper inequities. Danielle A. Melton brings us more. 20:40 As Oklahoma reduces nearly $40 million from its mental health budget, community-based programs across the state are feeling the impact. In the second part of her series on mental health, Alana Mbanza examines how therapists, artists, and community organizers are creating alternative spaces for healing, connection, and support. 34:57 Clara Luper, also known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, was recently commemorated in the form of a statue honoring her legacy leading Oklahoma City’s sit-in movement. Luper and the work of her student activists will now be memorialized forever. FBO’s Sondra Slade was there. 45:36 This podcast episode closes with a poem by Tinasha LaRayeė. She read this poem at the unveiling of the Clara Luper statue in Oklahoma City. 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, Jess Grimes, Roma Carter, and 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

    53 min

  7. 11/19/2025

    Episode 59-SNAP benefits crisis, UCO student press freedom, & mental health cuts

    1:33 Focus: Black Oklahoma’s Venson Fields turns our attention to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits crisis. Tens of thousands of families across the state are still feeling the ripple effects of the government shutdown—not in abstract political terms, but in their kitchens and on their dinner tables. 10:22 At the University of Central Oklahoma, student journalists at The Vista have found their independence and integrity under fire, facing administrative pressures. These moments raise urgent questions about who gets to tell the story, whose voices are heard, and what happens to democracy when student press freedom is stifled. Nico Berlin takes a closer look at the growing wave of attacks on free speech across college campuses—right here at home and across the nation. 17:30 In May of this year, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services revealed a 30 million dollar budget shortfall, which required an emergency appropriation by the state legislature. In September, the legislature announced hundreds of contracts would not be renewed to address the department’s budget going forward. FBO’s Alana Mbanza explores the human costs of these cuts. 27:37 According to the World Health Organization, “Everyone, if they live long enough, will experience at least one eye condition in their lifetime that will require appropriate care.” An estimated 2.2 billion people, or a quarter of the world’s population, live with visual impairment or blindness. In the town of Kinondo in Kenya, multiple organizations came together to provide vision care during World Blindness Month. Zaakirah Muhammad has details. 33:18 A year after the opening of Zink Lake in Tulsa, questions continue to surface about the safety and quality of water in the Arkansas River. FBO’s Roma Carter spoke with independent journalist Molly Bullock about her coverage of waterway contamination. 41:35 For generations, African American musicians have turned rhythm into revolution—using their art to challenge racism, economic oppression, and social injustice. From gospel to hip-hop, protest songs to soul anthems, Francia Allen continues her series on music & culture as she traces how music continues to impact both hearts and movements, amplifying the call for freedom, dignity, and a world grounded in love. 49:28 Finally, we pause to remember. This poem, written by Brooks Lansana, invites us into a space of reflection—of memory and reverence—for those whose names were never spoken, whose stories were buried beneath the ashes of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. 51:15 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

    53 min

  8. 10/23/2025

    Episode 58-Book bans, budget cuts, & Indigenous community wellness

    1:03 As the world celebrated a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza, other conflicts continue to rage across the globe, including in Sudan. In January, then Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared the Sudanese military and allied militias were committing genocide. What does this have to do with Oklahoma? Here’s FBO’s Nick Alexandrov. 11:24 As federal budget cuts to healthcare and education take hold, more families in the United States will have to make difficult choices. In Oklahoma, the disparities are evident for students with special needs and people with multiple sclerosis. Zaakirah Muhammad has the story. 21:48 Since the passage of Oklahoma House Bill 1775 in 2021, educators and librarians have had to carefully navigate book offerings in classes and libraries. While legal challenges to the law persist, students of all ages risk missing out on learning opportunities that are only available in some banned books. Jess Grimes has more. 30:57 What began as a town hall for Enid’s Hispanic community turned into a cross-cultural summit—bringing together neighbors from all backgrounds to tackle shared struggles and build unity. Here’s Venson Fields with details. 39:56 Nestled in the Brookside neighborhood of Tulsa is a garden that's not just for growing herbs and vegetables, but for cultivating indigenous knowledge, wellness, and community. A nonprofit called "Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness" aims to provide resources to tribal citizens living in an urban environment to promote health and cultural connection with an emphasis on growing and cooking food. Nico Berlin has details. 47:17 Here’s FBO’s Sondra Slade with a friendly reminder that sometimes driving on Oklahoma roads requires the heart of a lion. 50:59 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 Smriti Iyengar, 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

    53 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Channel
    KOSU
  • Creator
    KOSU
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 KOSU Radio
  • Show Website
    Focus: Black Oklahoma

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