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This new app gives a unique tour of Oklahoma’s Black history

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This new app gives a unique tour of Oklahoma’s Black history


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Doris Youngblood remembers the excitement and sense of affirmation she felt as a young Black girl learning about Black Oklahomans who overcame the trials of racism and segregation to triumph as successful leaders in their communities.

As founder of Oklahoma Black Living Legacy, Youngblood and other members of the nonprofit hope to share that same excitement and pride with other Oklahomans through a new mobile app designed to educate users about the state’s rich Black history.

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“This type of access to our history is important because it makes it readily available to people,” Youngblood said. “This is what Oklahoma Black Legacy is all about.”

The app will be officially introduced at a gathering set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Oklahoma History Center, with live jazz music to be featured. Broadcast journalist Bob Dotson, the event’s keynote speaker, holds a special place in Youngblood’s heart because of all the Black history she learned watching “Through the Looking Glass Darkly,” his Emmy Award-winning documentary that aired in the 1970’s which focused on the history of Blacks in Oklahoma.

The app is designed for walking and driving tours of 31 sites in Oklahoma City, with some sites shining a spotlight on more than one person. All in all, the app tells 50 stories of historic people and places, like the mansion built by Dr. W.H. Slaughter, Oklahoma City’s first Black physician and property owner known for his generosity and love for his community. Youngblood and her husband Marq have owned the Slaughter Mansion since 2013 and they have restored the three-story structure not far from the intersection of Interstate 35 and NE 63.

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Another house on the tour is that of Walter and Frances Edwards, who developed the Edwards housing addition to provide quality housing for Black families after World War II.

“We thought it was important to document these landmarks,” Youngblood said. “As people drive by, the site or significant person will pop up on a map. The map is interactive, and participants can take quizzes.”

Neighborhoods included on the tour include JFK, Deep Deuce and the Edwards Addition. Buildings will also take center stage, including the Jewel Theater, plus churches, schools and the homes and businesses of prominent Black leaders.

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The app will highlight the stories of historic figures like author Ralph Ellison, civil rights leader Clara Luper, musician Charlie Christian, Dr. W.L. Haywood, haircare magnates Sidney and Mary Lyons, Dr. Charles Morgan, Dr. Gravelly Finley and musician, educator and theater owner Zelia Breaux.

Vision to highlight history

Other members of Oklahoma Black Living Legacy include James R. Johnson, Oklahoma Black Living Legacy chairman and grandson of developers Walter and Frances Edwards; Marq Youngblood, Doris Youngblood’s husband; Renita Fish-Wisby, the great-great niece of Dr. Haywood; Christian Jackson, Rozia McKinney-Foster and Marcus Young.

Doris Youngblood said their group has been anticipated sharing the app they created with the community-at-large. She said she has a background in project management and software development so she had an “inkling” of what she wanted to see created. She said an Oklahoma Historical Society Preservation Grant and other sponsors helped fund the project.

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Volunteers with Oklahoma Black Living Legacy conducted the research for the app, with help from staff and volunteers at the Oklahoma History Center. The group said more information will be added to the app eventually.

Youngblood said she hopes people who engage with the app glean valuable insight into the lives of Black Oklahomans who lived, worked and raised their families with dreams of creating brighter futures.

“What I think about is how determined these folks must have been,” Youngblood said. “I mean, look at all they created.”

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Much of what these pioneers created still stands. The Slaughter Mansion, Calvary Baptist Church, the Edwards Addition and the home of Walter and Frances Edwards are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

But the tour also highlights some historic sites that are gone. During visits to sites where the original buildings no longer stand, vintage photos will appear on the app, Youngblood said.

Johnson said the app is a way to help people look back at the past to gain a better understanding of their history.

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“Hopefully, the children and youth that see this, they will have an image of what they can become,” he said.

“They can be anything they want to be.”



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Oklahoma law now requires hospitals to post prices of procedures

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Oklahoma law now requires hospitals to post prices of procedures


OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — If you have ever undergone a medical procedure, you know one of the scariest parts is not knowing how much you will have to pay.

That will no longer be the case for Oklahomans starting Saturday, November 1st.

Governor Kevin Stitt held a press conference Tuesday with other supporters of the new Hospital Price Transparency Law.

“It’s asking for transparency in pricing at hospitals, pretty common sense for consumers,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said.

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Starting November 1st, Oklahoma hospitals must post prices for procedures, so patients know how much they are paying before the bill arrives.

“We should be able to know how much things cost and not be surprised by humongous medical bills,” Gov. Stitt said.

“This law protects consumers who say if they’ve been harmed by overcharges, they also have a private right of action to go after the hospital for way overcharging them beyond the prices they were to have paid,” Cynthia Fisher, Founder and Chairman for Patient Rights Advocate said.

Fisher says in their most recent report, only 12% of Oklahoma hospitals reviewed were fully complying with the federal hospital price transparency rule first implemented nearly five years ago.

“And what has happened in the shadows is there is wide price variation,” Fisher said. “One patient may pay with their plan $1,200, and another patient may be billed over $12,000 for that very same procedure.”

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Supporters believe this law will create a free market system, and in turn, bring down prices.

“I think we’ll see prices fall and quality soar,” Dr. Keith Smith, Co-Founder of the Free Market Medical Association and Surgery Center of Oklahoma said.

The State Department of Health will make sure hospitals post prices.

We reached out to a couple of hospitals to see how they plan to roll this out.

Integris Health never got back with us, and OU Health said they would send over something Wednesday.

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Gov. Stitt says there is one main goal behind this law.

“We’re going to put power back into the consumers hands, going to lower health care cost across the state of Oklahoma,” Gov. Stitt said.

You can find the price transparency tool here.



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Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle to Prioritize Getting Veteran Wideout More Opportunities

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Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle to Prioritize Getting Veteran Wideout More Opportunities


The No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners have plenty of opportunities before them to make their losses to Mississippi and Texas feel like distant memories. A road matchup with the No. 14-ranked Tennessee Volunteers provides a great platform for a potential strong OU run to end their regular season.

In order to make that happen, Oklahoma must correct issues that seem simple in theory but have proven elusive in several games. Namely, get players like Deion Burks the ball.

It’s something that Ben Arbuckle wants to do.

“Deion’s a talented kid,” Arbuckle said during his Tuesday press conference. “Finding ways to get him the ball in space, he has the ability with his quick twitch and speed. Just have to keep working with him.”

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Oklahoma Sooners, Deion Burks

Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks / Carson Field, Sooners on SI

Against the Michigan Wolverines in Week 2, Burks revealed the game-breaking ability that followed him from Purdue when he transferred to Norman during the 2024 offseason. Burks had seven catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Since then? 22 catches for 201 yards and no touchdowns. His back-to-back seven catch games in Oklahoma’s first two games have yet to show themselves since.

By now, Sooner fans are familiar with dozens of isolated plays over the last three weeks showcasing open receivers downfield — that Mateer either missed on throws or simply never looked their way. Burks has been a frequent star in those examples

Burks is looking at his lack of impact in the right way.

“Just know it’s football, man,” Burks said on Monday when asked about if he’s frustrated when he doesn’t get the ball. “Just know there’s more than me on the field. Never know really what’s going on behind the play. But no. Just next-play mentality. Just trying to get open again if I’m missed or anything like that.”

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While Burks has been quiet, Isaiah Sategna III has blossomed. Since the Michigan game, Sategna has snagged 37 catches for 564 yards and five scores. If Oklahoma wants to have success on the road in the SEC, they cannot only rely on Sategna. They have to get Burks the ball to ensure the offense can hit its ceiling and reward its capable defense for stops.

Arbuckle knows how important Burks is to what the Sooners want to do.

Oklahoma Sooners, Ben Arbuckle

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle / Carson Field, Sooners on SI

“Just gotta keep working with him,” Arbuckle said. “There were times in that game where the ball should have found him.”

Both Arbuckle and Burks stressed that John Mateer cannot be expected to make every play, especially against great conference competition. “It’s not all on John,” Arbuckle relayed. But there’s no doubt that Oklahoma is leaving potential greatness on the field instead of on the scoreboard.

“John’s a leader,” Burks said. “He wants to be great so of course he’s in and out of this facility and we have our conversations but no conversation where it’s down in a sense. Just trying to bring each other up and how can we continue to get better each and every week.”

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Arbuckle has been encouraged by Burks’ work ethic since the loss in the Cotton Bowl. That encouragement makes Arbuckle all the more hungry for getting Burks more involved to piggyback off of Sategna’s last month of play and to help his struggling quarterback.

“Dion’s a talented kid who honestly has had the best two weeks of practice from a technical standpoint and a straining to win standpoint,” Arbuckle said. “I’m really proud of the way he’s attacking practice.”



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