Jericka Handie
First full-time black professor at OU, Melvin B. Tolson Jr., remembered for breaking racial barriers
When Melvin B. Tolson Jr. came to the University of Oklahoma in 1959, his main goal was not to become an activist or a role model. He just wan…
Professor emeritus George Henderson is a renowned professor and activist on OU’s campus. His decades of teaching and mentoring crossed and broke down boundaries for Oklahoma’s black community. His story is part of a series The Daily will publish throughout February in honor of Black History Month. Information throughout the story is from interviews and Henderson’s book, “Race and the University.”
The OU community gathered on campus Tuesday to express concerns surrounding a racist video that depicts a then-OU student using a racial slur …