LOCAL & STATE
Gary Lee, The Oklahoma Eagle
Kristi Williams, founder of Black History Saturday, Black culture & heritage advocate. Williams was recently named a National Geographic Wayfinder and grant awardee to support the expansion of Black History Saturday workshops. Illustration, The Oklahoma Eagle
Kristi Williams, a stalwart advocate for Black culture and heritage in Tulsa, has been named a National Geographic Wayfinder. This coveted role positions Williams to amplify her brand of storytelling on national and international platforms.
In recent years, Williams has forged a role as a modern-day north Tulsa griot – a village storyteller popular in West Africa – sharing the narrative of Black Tulsa and Oklahoma before audiences in local forums. In 2023, Williams created Black History Saturdays.
This monthly teach-in draws over a hundred Tulsans to learn about various aspects of regional, national, and international Black history and culture. The new National Geographic role, announced earlier this summer, gives Williams a platform to tell of the history of the travails and resilience of Black Oklahomans on global stages.
With the National Geographic Wayfinder status, Williams also received a grant of $50,000 and the opportunity for an additional $100,000 and further financial support for her mission. She was also named a National Geographic Explorer. Wayfarer status is a rare honor, given annually to only fifteen people from thousands of nominees.
Other recipients of the distinction in 2024 include Bohdan Prots, a conservation biologist and nature defender from Ukraine who has helped establish protected areas, restore nature, and combat the illegal use of natural resources in Ukraine; and Esther Horvath, a photographer documenting polar climate research and scientific expeditions with a focus on the work and lives of scientists who deliver crucial climate data for humanity.
National Geographic executives named Williams and the other fourteen 2024 Wayfarers in a ceremony in Washington D. C., on June 11. Each recipient made presentations about their missions. Williams used the occasion to discuss her role as an advocate for Tulsa’s Black community.
Explorers Push Boundaries
“The crazy thing about all of us is that we pushed boundaries to get where we are,” Williams said in an interview with The Oklahoma Eagle. “I feel so small in this group of people. A lot of them are scientists. They are figuring out stuff like how to speak to sperm whales. They pushed the boundaries regarding science and how to make the planet a better place. And with me being just a community advocate, I was trying to figure out where I fit in with them. I learned that your voice is essential no matter what area you’re working in, whether it’s building rockets or saving bison or whales, your voice is essential. We all have a space in this world to raise our voices, challenge the status quo and push against the boundaries that this society sets for us.”
Black History Saturdays is one way that Williams has pushed boundaries. She decided to launch the class series after Oklahoma legislators passed House Bill 1774 in 2022. The statute restricts what teachers can teach about race in classrooms. It made teachers reluctant to share stories of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, or the genocide of Native Americans carried out by the U. S. government.
Williams’ response was to offer classes one Saturday every month that include lessons in local, state, national, and international Black history. The classes regularly draw more than a hundred Tulsans, including pupils and adults. The Oklahoma Eagle has featured Black History Saturdays in its coverage. (See https://theokeagle.com/2024/01/19/black-history-saturdays/)
Williams has also created a library of books banned in Tulsa public schools and libraries. The banned book library opened in May at EduRec, located at 5424 N. Madison Ave., in Tulsa. The library will be open to adults and pupils participating in Black History Saturdays and community members.
Among the books in the library are the following: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” ”Gender Queer,” and tomes on the Tulsa Race Massacre.
“I created the library to give folks access to the books,” she told The Oklahoma Eagle. “I also wanted to show my young folks or even adults that you don’t have to take what’s being given to you. You can do something about it.”
Williams has been instrumental in various initiatives, including serving as campaign manager for Tulsa District 1 City Councilor Vanessa Hall Harper, program manager for Fitting Back In Tulsa with World Won Development, and consultant for Standpipe Hill Strategies—initiating the Standpipe Hill Homebuyers Program in 2022, which facilitated homeownership for numerous individuals. She is former chairperson of the Greater Tulsa African American Affairs Commission. She has also received various awards for her contributions, including “Community Activist of The Year” and the “Community Spirit Award.” In her advocacy work, she has appeared frequently in documentaries, panel discussions, and national media outlets, always raising up the narratives of marginalized communities
Williams says she plans to use the funding available through the Wayfarer program to build up the Black History Saturdays program and the Banned Book library in Tulsa. She will also draw from the funds to help advocates in other cities establish Black History Saturdays and Banned Book libraries.
Plans to Expand Programs
“My dream is to have workshops to teach people in different communities how to do a Black History Saturday in their community. I’ve had people from Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Arkansas, and Kansas City reach out to me and ask, how did you do this? How did you start Black History Saturdays? How did you start a BAM book library? And so I want to be able to help them set that up.”
Williams’s new role as a National Geographic Explorer has made her more aware of her status as a role model for a younger generation of community advocates.
“I always say to those who want to be impactful to find your purpose and understand your purpose,” she told The Oklahoma Eagle.
“I often tell people, what do you get upset about? What would upset you the most? And the thing that upsets you the most, I think, is the things that you should go after. And I always say, if you’re not mad, you’re not paying attention. And so anger is good. And I often think we stay away from things that make us angry, but that’s how we really make the change. You have to allow yourself to get angry enough to change something. You have to transform that energy of anger into an action to improve things. And so that’s always my advice to people when they ask, well, how can I get involved? Where do I start? I always ask, what makes you angry? I think it’s vital for us to explore that. And a lot of us just don’t. Look at how society points to the angry Black man or the angry Black woman. Well, you should get angry. To me, that’s how I found my purpose. And once you start following that, you’ll see things fall into place.”
