Nearly 20 Tulsa authors will be celebrated Feb. 7 during the 13th annual Black Wall Street Heritage & History Festival. This year’s theme, according to host and founder BIllie Parker, is “Black Thoughts Matter.”
“My focus on the festival is bringing the community together with different kinds of talents,” Parker said.
Parker said she was intrigued by the number of Black authors in Tulsa who are educating others.
Her award to each person states: “Your Black thoughts represent the internal life, intellectual traditions and lived experiences of Black people — areas that have historically been ignored, suppressed or misrepresented by others. For Black authors, writing these thoughts down is a powerful act of reclaiming your narrative.”
The writers’ works range from memoirs and poetry to books on faith and social justice issues.
Keynote speaker Quraysh Ali Lansana — a poet, professor and co-founder of Tri-City Collective — told The Oklahoma Eagle his goal is to share what he has learned through his mentors, philosophers, activists and writers who are credited with building a legacy around the Black Arts Movement.
“I’ve been blessed to be mentored by many of the most significant writers of the Black Arts Movement, as well as a handful of other folks who weren’t Black,” Lansana said.
He acknowledged Gwendolyn Brooks and Haki R. Madhubuti as two people that have had an outsized impact on his career. In 1950, Brooks became the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize, while Madhubuti is the founder of Third World Press — considered the oldest, independent Black publishing company in the country.
Lansana has also written more than 20 books in poetry, nonfiction and children’s literature and has received a number of awards in his career.
His latest book, “Ralph Ellison: More than Invisible,” narrates the life of the Oklahoma City writer best known for his novel “Invisible Man.”
Some of the other authors that will be honored are Shakay Grey, Raittia Rogers and Deborah Hunter.
This year’s festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the 36th Street North Event Center, 1125 E. 36th St. North. There will be dancing, music, poetry, vendors and more.
Authors will be on hand to discuss and sign their books for purchase. Admission is a suggested $10 donation that benefits a children’s community garden in north Tulsa.
Editor’s note: Gary Lee, executive editor of The Oklahoma Eagle, will also be honored at the event.
