Dr. John Hope Franklin was my Commencement Speaker at @bereacollege.bsky.social in 1989. My oldest brother (now a retired history professor) was there. #HistoryBrother served on the Oklahoma commission investigating Greenwood in 2000 (we are from Langston).
#WorkingToFix2026
#WorkingToFix2026
Buck Colbert Franklin was there thay day. He had moved to Greenwood earlier that year
Father of the acclaimed historian, John Hope Franklin, Buck Franklin would survive the subsequent violence and go on to represent the survivors of those fateful days
Father of the acclaimed historian, John Hope Franklin, Buck Franklin would survive the subsequent violence and go on to represent the survivors of those fateful days
May 30, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Dr. John Hope Franklin was my Commencement Speaker at @bereacollege.bsky.social in 1989. My oldest brother (now a retired history professor) was there. #HistoryBrother served on the Oklahoma commission investigating Greenwood in 2000 (we are from Langston).
#WorkingToFix2026
#WorkingToFix2026
Thread: Another great thread & lesson! If #HistoryBrother (my oldest; retired history prof) was on social media, this is stuff he would do & enjoy. Thank Jesus he is not on them, though, because we would go back & forth on different perspectives, plus my having to explain what "subtweet" means, etc.
"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America."
Those were the words of the 2nd President John Adams
He went on to predict it would be celebrated with "Pomp & Parade. Bonfires & Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other."
he was wrong 🧵
Those were the words of the 2nd President John Adams
He went on to predict it would be celebrated with "Pomp & Parade. Bonfires & Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other."
he was wrong 🧵
July 2, 2026 at 11:21 PM
Thread: Another great thread & lesson! If #HistoryBrother (my oldest; retired history prof) was on social media, this is stuff he would do & enjoy. Thank Jesus he is not on them, though, because we would go back & forth on different perspectives, plus my having to explain what "subtweet" means, etc.
#Sigh2
My brother (#HistoryBrother) has studied this issue & worked on it for decades. Seems there is a saying about knowing history & what comes from a lack of it . . .
My brother (#HistoryBrother) has studied this issue & worked on it for decades. Seems there is a saying about knowing history & what comes from a lack of it . . .
June 12, 2024 at 8:30 PM
#Sigh2
My brother (#HistoryBrother) has studied this issue & worked on it for decades. Seems there is a saying about knowing history & what comes from a lack of it . . .
My brother (#HistoryBrother) has studied this issue & worked on it for decades. Seems there is a saying about knowing history & what comes from a lack of it . . .
3/3 Master's degree) & all my 4 older siblings were college grads (#HistoryBrother has a Master's). The student insisted that my family faced struggles, thus were not privileged. The student just could not grasp that I had advantages over 1st-gen students.
Looking forward to this storyline!
Looking forward to this storyline!
November 24, 2025 at 3:29 PM
3/3 Master's degree) & all my 4 older siblings were college grads (#HistoryBrother has a Master's). The student insisted that my family faced struggles, thus were not privileged. The student just could not grasp that I had advantages over 1st-gen students.
Looking forward to this storyline!
Looking forward to this storyline!
Well, now my hometown (born Langston, just south of Stillwater on this map, & where #HistoryBrother lives) could be hit with the next set of storms after my other hometown (Manchester, KY) & area was hit on Friday/Saturday.
May 19, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Well, now my hometown (born Langston, just south of Stillwater on this map, & where #HistoryBrother lives) could be hit with the next set of storms after my other hometown (Manchester, KY) & area was hit on Friday/Saturday.
Rest in Power! #HistoryBrother (who worked with the 2000 state commission & had been involved before then) & I were talking about how the data are there to support their claims if people really want to see it & find justice. Too many have slow walked this for decades.
Hughes Van Ellis, one of the three last known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died. He was 102.
Tulsa Race Massacre survivor Hughes Van Ellis dies at 102
One of the three remaining Tulsa Race Massacre survivors died Monday morning in Denver, Colorado. Hughes Van Ellis was 102.
www.kjrh.com
October 10, 2023 at 2:51 AM
Rest in Power! #HistoryBrother (who worked with the 2000 state commission & had been involved before then) & I were talking about how the data are there to support their claims if people really want to see it & find justice. Too many have slow walked this for decades.
Please allow me to BIRG (bask in reflected glory) a bit. My grand-niece graduated Saturday from the University of Oklahoma! She started at OU in Fall 2021. She got her BS in Biology & minor in History (her Grandpa is
#HistoryBrother who wanted to attend OU when he was getting /1
#HistoryBrother who wanted to attend OU when he was getting /1
December 16, 2024 at 4:22 PM
Please allow me to BIRG (bask in reflected glory) a bit. My grand-niece graduated Saturday from the University of Oklahoma! She started at OU in Fall 2021. She got her BS in Biology & minor in History (her Grandpa is
#HistoryBrother who wanted to attend OU when he was getting /1
#HistoryBrother who wanted to attend OU when he was getting /1
My oldest brother, #HistoryBrother, was on the state commission that created the official history of this event back in 2001. He calls it a "war" as Blacks did fight back. BTW, Dr. John Hope Franklin was my Commencement speaker in 1989 (Berea College).
www.okhistory.org/learn/trm
www.okhistory.org/learn/trm
The Tulsa Race Massacre | Oklahoma Historical Society
The Tulsa Race Massacre
www.okhistory.org
June 1, 2025 at 7:53 PM
My oldest brother, #HistoryBrother, was on the state commission that created the official history of this event back in 2001. He calls it a "war" as Blacks did fight back. BTW, Dr. John Hope Franklin was my Commencement speaker in 1989 (Berea College).
www.okhistory.org/learn/trm
www.okhistory.org/learn/trm
Happy birthday, President Carter! #HistoryBrother reminded me a few years ago about my giving Dad a Christmas letter when I was 10 that included hoping our new president-elect would help move our country beyond the scandals that had hit us. Pres. Carter was that person!
www.npr.org/sections/the...
www.npr.org/sections/the...
www.npr.org
October 1, 2024 at 2:05 PM
Happy birthday, President Carter! #HistoryBrother reminded me a few years ago about my giving Dad a Christmas letter when I was 10 that included hoping our new president-elect would help move our country beyond the scandals that had hit us. Pres. Carter was that person!
www.npr.org/sections/the...
www.npr.org/sections/the...
Spot on! Folks want to have "conversations" or "debates" with me at times, & I just step away, especially when they start throwing up memes or blogs/opinion pieces as data/evidence. #HistoryBrother would lose his mind, muttering "People are just stupid." I understand his feelings at times!
July 2, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Spot on! Folks want to have "conversations" or "debates" with me at times, & I just step away, especially when they start throwing up memes or blogs/opinion pieces as data/evidence. #HistoryBrother would lose his mind, muttering "People are just stupid." I understand his feelings at times!
I cannot tell you the number of folks who reached out to ask me if the Tulsa Race War in 1921 was real after seeing it on HBO’s great “Watchmen” series. Ironically, it dealt with not knowing history, too. BTW, #HistoryBrother was on the Oklahoma commission investigating Tulsa with a report in 2000.
August 19, 2025 at 11:57 PM
I cannot tell you the number of folks who reached out to ask me if the Tulsa Race War in 1921 was real after seeing it on HBO’s great “Watchmen” series. Ironically, it dealt with not knowing history, too. BTW, #HistoryBrother was on the Oklahoma commission investigating Tulsa with a report in 2000.
3/3 I wanted to pursue at the time (neither did OK St., but they tried to get me there with marketing & psych combined in the early 90s).
Glad to say that one of the core family made it through OU's program! Congrats to my Grand-Niece, my Niece, & #HistoryBrother!
Glad to say that one of the core family made it through OU's program! Congrats to my Grand-Niece, my Niece, & #HistoryBrother!
December 16, 2024 at 4:22 PM
3/3 I wanted to pursue at the time (neither did OK St., but they tried to get me there with marketing & psych combined in the early 90s).
Glad to say that one of the core family made it through OU's program! Congrats to my Grand-Niece, my Niece, & #HistoryBrother!
Glad to say that one of the core family made it through OU's program! Congrats to my Grand-Niece, my Niece, & #HistoryBrother!
We were not mutuals, but I followed, shared, & interacted with you on that hellscape. If I cannot get #HistoryBrother (my oldest brother is retired historian in Oklahoma) on social media, glad to have you & @kevinmlevin.bsky.social to follow here on BlueSky, too!
October 10, 2023 at 3:24 PM
We were not mutuals, but I followed, shared, & interacted with you on that hellscape. If I cannot get #HistoryBrother (my oldest brother is retired historian in Oklahoma) on social media, glad to have you & @kevinmlevin.bsky.social to follow here on BlueSky, too!
Dad taught at Langston University for 37 years before retiring. #HistoryBrother taught over 40 years at Connors State & other OK colleges. Me, being the baby of the family, had to point out the names are incorrect (Dad is not Sr., but my brother is one).
October 8, 2023 at 6:41 PM
Dad taught at Langston University for 37 years before retiring. #HistoryBrother taught over 40 years at Connors State & other OK colleges. Me, being the baby of the family, had to point out the names are incorrect (Dad is not Sr., but my brother is one).
#HistoryBrother, who worked with the State of Oklahoma & other groups investigating these issues since the 1990s, wondered if this would happen last year.
theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/09/30/d...
theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/09/30/d...
DOJ opens first ever federal probe into Tulsa Race Massacre
The DOJ will investigate the Tulsa Race Massacre, attorneys for the survivors announced on Monday in Greenwood.
theblackwallsttimes.com
September 30, 2024 at 11:35 PM
#HistoryBrother, who worked with the State of Oklahoma & other groups investigating these issues since the 1990s, wondered if this would happen last year.
theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/09/30/d...
theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/09/30/d...
Amen! Both/And
BTW: Today marks 105 years when the attack on the Greenwood area of Tulsa started due to stories/rumors about a White woman being assaulted by a young Black man. As typical, the truth may be more complicated. #HistoryBrother was on the OK Commission about it.
#WorkingToFix2026
BTW: Today marks 105 years when the attack on the Greenwood area of Tulsa started due to stories/rumors about a White woman being assaulted by a young Black man. As typical, the truth may be more complicated. #HistoryBrother was on the OK Commission about it.
#WorkingToFix2026
“Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will blow away
Maybe I won’t feel so afraid
I will try to understand either way…”
#comics #eitherway #wilco
The clouds will blow away
Maybe I won’t feel so afraid
I will try to understand either way…”
#comics #eitherway #wilco
May 31, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Amen! Both/And
BTW: Today marks 105 years when the attack on the Greenwood area of Tulsa started due to stories/rumors about a White woman being assaulted by a young Black man. As typical, the truth may be more complicated. #HistoryBrother was on the OK Commission about it.
#WorkingToFix2026
BTW: Today marks 105 years when the attack on the Greenwood area of Tulsa started due to stories/rumors about a White woman being assaulted by a young Black man. As typical, the truth may be more complicated. #HistoryBrother was on the OK Commission about it.
#WorkingToFix2026
3/ Ms. Truth's famous speech is a prime example of what can go very wrong in these circumstances.
Initially, I learned it as the "Ain't I a Woman" speech with the broken dialect. Glad to have folks in the direct family (e.g., #HistoryBrother) & the community
Initially, I learned it as the "Ain't I a Woman" speech with the broken dialect. Glad to have folks in the direct family (e.g., #HistoryBrother) & the community
February 5, 2026 at 1:24 AM
3/ Ms. Truth's famous speech is a prime example of what can go very wrong in these circumstances.
Initially, I learned it as the "Ain't I a Woman" speech with the broken dialect. Glad to have folks in the direct family (e.g., #HistoryBrother) & the community
Initially, I learned it as the "Ain't I a Woman" speech with the broken dialect. Glad to have folks in the direct family (e.g., #HistoryBrother) & the community
This is a great story weaving past & present! I remember talking with Grandpa as this was going on 50 years ago. It is part of why when #HistoryBrother tried to say Pres. Lincoln is Kentucky's most famous resident, I scoffed & said, "Ali"!
www.courier-journal.com/story/sports...
www.courier-journal.com/story/sports...
Muhammad Ali still inspires Louisville 50 years after Thrilla in Manila vs. Joe Frazier
Louisville residents still draw on Muhammad Ali's spirit today in fight for social justice 50 years after the Thrilla in Manila against Joe Frazier.
www.courier-journal.com
October 1, 2025 at 2:55 PM
This is a great story weaving past & present! I remember talking with Grandpa as this was going on 50 years ago. It is part of why when #HistoryBrother tried to say Pres. Lincoln is Kentucky's most famous resident, I scoffed & said, "Ali"!
www.courier-journal.com/story/sports...
www.courier-journal.com/story/sports...
My siblings (#HistoryBrother, #TaxBrother, #GodmotherSis, #MamaSis), core fam (#MrsScienceTeacher, #Daughter, #PawnInLaw, #Granddaughter), cousins, extended fam, friends, etc., thank you for helping make this world a joyful place.
Song 3: youtu.be/eLbmdG8U60E?...
Song 3: youtu.be/eLbmdG8U60E?...
As
YouTube video by Stevie Wonder - Topic
youtu.be
September 3, 2024 at 12:58 PM
My siblings (#HistoryBrother, #TaxBrother, #GodmotherSis, #MamaSis), core fam (#MrsScienceTeacher, #Daughter, #PawnInLaw, #Granddaughter), cousins, extended fam, friends, etc., thank you for helping make this world a joyful place.
Song 3: youtu.be/eLbmdG8U60E?...
Song 3: youtu.be/eLbmdG8U60E?...
As #HistoryBrother does often, dig into the story to find out if what you know is the actual information in the real world.
Song 2: youtu.be/r6q3s1MI6NE?...
Song 2: youtu.be/r6q3s1MI6NE?...
Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma) - They Might Be Giants
Directed by David Cowles & Liesje Kraai. From TMBGs DVD/CD set Here Comes Science. Support TMBG and get the album on Amazon (http://geni.us/NhJ) iTunes (htt...
youtu.be
June 15, 2024 at 7:05 PM
As #HistoryBrother does often, dig into the story to find out if what you know is the actual information in the real world.
Song 2: youtu.be/r6q3s1MI6NE?...
Song 2: youtu.be/r6q3s1MI6NE?...
