TULLAHASSEE, Okla. — With a population of about 100, there are some homes in Tullahassee, Oklahoma. There are a couple of churches and a post office acts as a civic center for town meetings.
Lori Thompson’s family grew up here and has been part of an effort to get the town back on its feet.
“We shouldn’t be stuck on calling them black towns because it’s not just black people who live here,” explained Thompson. “It’s the historic value of what the town is about and that it was governed by people of color.”
The A.J. Mason Building is on the National Register of Historic Places. They’ve been working to revitalize the old school gym to be an event center and hope for a grand re-opening next year, in time for Homecoming.
This weekend, Thompson is helping host a tour of the town. It’s one element of the “Black Towns Revival Weekend,” a 3 ½ day event full of activities surrounding the rebuilding of black communities.
“I hope they leave here understanding that not only is history important, but our future is important,” she said.
Cymone Davis is the former Town Manager and now runs a company called Black Towns Municipal Management, focused on revitalization efforts. She’s organizing the weekend event and is hopeful a variety of stakeholders join the tour.
“We need architects, city managers, those involved in township building or governance,” she said. “We need the community involved because it is a collective effort.
And she adds that infrastructure is key to rebuilding.
“It means that there is an economic system in place to rebuild the community,” said Davis. “Having a paved road means opportunity.”
Thompson says there are more plans in the works for Tullahassee that she can’t announce yet.
As one of 13 historic black towns left in Oklahoma, many hope to see it thriving.
View more on the event here.
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