Jan 20

Oklahomans Lead Native Restoration - Podcast

The Oklahoma State Supreme Court may not have considered a Ten Commandments memorial welcome at the state capitol, but the Choctaw Tribal Council built their own and unveiled it in the form of a magnificent granite monument during opening ceremonies at the 2017 Choctaw Nation Trail of Tears Walk and Heritage Day. One side of the “open Bible” display Moses’s commandments in English, the other in Choctaw. From left, Chief Gary Batton, Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr. and members of the Choctaw Tribal Council unveil the monument on the Historic Choctaw Capitol Grounds at Tvshka Homma (Tuskahoma). Had it not been for the courageous efforts of Bill Carmack, Fred and LaDonna Harris, and other Oklahomans, and the rejection by Choctaw leaders of tempting, personal government payoffs, this scene could never have occurred, because no organized Choctaw tribe would have existed. Courtesy Choctaw Nation.

OU Professor Bill Carmack and his Oklahoma colleagues LED the effort to save our tribes from elimination and launch them on their historic, long overdue path toward a second chance. Bet you’ve never heard that before, other than in our OKLAHOMANS 2 book. You can now, in our new, double-episode podcast.

Join John and KTOK/iHeartRadio star Gwin Faulconer-Lippert and learn the enthralling story of how Oklahomans engineered the historic making good of many of America’s promises to our Natives. These are both the 80th and 81st episodes of our original OKLAHOMA GOLD! radio program. Thank you Atwoods Stores for making it possible! Go HERE to listen to them all! Future episodes explore more great heroes, events, and movements of Oklahoma History.

Oklahoma professor Bill Carmack is sworn in as Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington in 1966

Lawton native and University of Oklahoma professor Bill Carmack is sworn in as Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington in 1966. Standing nearby are his friends, Oklahoma Senator Fred Harris and his wife, Comanche activist LaDonna Harris. Courtesy William R. Carmack.

LaDonna Vita Tabbytite Harris, raised on a farm near Walters, is one of the most accomplished Native social and political activists in American history. She played key roles first in aiding the plight of Indians in western Oklahoma, then in the great march from near-tribal termination to 21st-century sovereignty and prominence. Photo Paul Southerland. Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Co. and Oklahoma Historical Society.

Two controversial American Presidents from opposing political parties, Democrat Lyndon Johnson and Republican Richard Nixon, left lasting legacies for advancing the cause of the Indigenous peoples of Oklahoma and America.

Will’s weekly radio program cheered millions in the days before television.

Dr. Bill Carmack, the Lawton native and OU Regents Professor Emeritus of Communications, still strong and vigorous at 90, in the 2020s.

Many thanks to Atwoods Stores, a farm and ranch supply company based in Enid, Oklahoma, for their support of the Red River Institute of History and OKLAHOMA GOLD! Please support them as you are able! Wherever you are, you can order online from thousands of quality products on their terrific website HERE. Atwoods also has 66 stores in 5 states: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. In addition to farm and ranch supplies, Atwoods stores sell clothing, lawn and garden items, tools, hardware, automotive supplies, sporting goods, pet supplies, firearms, and seasonal items.