'Punished for Dreaming' event unites Black Wall Street with OSU

January 22, 2025

OSU Libraries’ investment in creating innovative, community-building events united Tulsa and Stillwater community members over education research, hip-hop scholarship and activism Oct. 17, 2024.

The Oklahoma Oral History Research Program hosted “Punished for Dreaming: Lecture & Listen Party,” at Tulsa’s Fulton Street Coffee and Books, which brought in 80 attendees to enjoy a lecture and listening party led by Dr. Bettina Love and Stevie “Dr. View” Johnson.

The event was inspired by Dr. Love’s book, “Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal,” a 40-year retrospective on systemic racism and educational reform in American school systems.

OOHRP Assistant Professor Dr. Autumn Brown, who organized the event, expressed excitement at the community engagement and enthusiasm surrounding the event.

“Seeing such a great display of community was the most beautiful part of the event,” Brown said. “Dr. Love’s engaging, down-to-earth demeanor fostered so many organic connections and conversations throughout the night.”

Among the attendees was OSU student Kendal McGhee, who traveled from Stillwater to attend and appreciated learning the circumstances behind modern struggles in education.

“As a Black student, I’m aware of a lot of the challenges our community experiences, but I haven’t had a lot of exposure to the historical context that informs them,” McGhee said. “Listening to the lecture and speaking with the presenters left me with a more solid understanding.”

Dr. Brown’s research and scholarship at the OOHRP often involves documenting the lived-experiences of Black Oklahomans involved in activism, education, arts and community organizing. Visit bit.ly/3C9KUEn to view her research.

This event was cosponsored by the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, OSU Libraries, OSU Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies, the Center for Poets and Writers, The Center for the Humanities, the Laurence L. and Georgia Ina Dresser Professorship in Rural Teacher Education, Oklahoma Humanities, the Fae Rawdon Norris Endowment for the Humanities, The University of Tulsa Kendall College of Arts & Sciences, the OU Carceral Studies Consortium, the Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma, the OSU American Studies Department and the OSU Department of Africana Studies.

This program was funded in part by Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.

 

About Oklahoma Humanities: Oklahoma Humanities (OH) is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen communities by helping Oklahomans learn about the human experience, understand new perspectives, and participate knowledgeably in civic life through humanities disciplines such as history, literature, film studies, art criticism, and philosophy. As the state partner for the National Endowment for the Humanities, OH provides a free educational magazine, Smithsonian Institution exhibits, reading and discussion groups, and other cultural opportunities for Oklahomans of all ages. OH engages people in their own communities, stimulating discussion and helping them explore the wider world of human experience.

STORY BY: Jacob Jackson, Senior Communication Specialist
RELEASE CONTACT:  Bonnie Cain-Wood, APR | OSU Library | 405-744-7331 | lib-pub@okstate.edu

About Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University is a premier land-grant university that prepares students for success. Through teaching, research and Extension, OSU engages communities and empowers servant-leaders to meet society’s most pressing challenges. OSU is the largest university system in Oklahoma and has more than 34,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 25,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and more than 125 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 280,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.

 

 

URL: https://library-dep.okstate.edu/news/archived-news/spring-2025/punished-for-dreaming-event-unites-black-wall-street-with-osu

Last Updated: 22 January 2025