Juneteenth Program: “Black Lawmen in Indian Territory”

The Oklahoma Historical Society will commemorate Juneteenth with a FREE educational program at the Oklahoma History Center on Thursday, June 19! Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the program will begin at 6 p.m. Juneteenth is the celebration of emancipation following the U.S. Civil War.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from and take photos with historical reenactors Shiron and Oscar Ray—and Oscar will be portraying Bass Reeves!
Award-winning author Art T. Burton will also give a presentation about the experiences of Black lawmen on the frontier. Burton is the author of several books, including “Black, Red, and Deadly: Black and Indian Gunfighters of the Indian Territory, 1870–1907” and “Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves,” which can be purchased during the event. Burton will be available for a book signing after his presentation.

This annual event is organized by the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Black Heritage Committee. No registration is required. Light refreshments will be served during the event.

MORE ABOUT JUNETEENTH: On June 19, 1865, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger proclaimed the end of slavery at Galveston, Texas. News of emancipation spread north to the enslaved people in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) at different times during the summer of 1865. However, emancipation was not immediate for all enslaved people—it was enforced later through the Reconstruction Treaties of 1866.