He fell into the blades of an auger at a poultry plant and died. He was a father, an immigrant, and a contract worker on the night shift. His name was Leovigildo Ramírez Castillo — and his story should shock us all. www.readfrontier.org/stories/an-i...

WRONGFUL CONVICTION DAY THURSDAY. Don’t forget to mark your calendars. I’ll be your MC for this event at the Oklahoma State Capitol, where several families will highlight cases of alleged prosecutorial misconduct, racial bias and more. Hosted by HOOKED ON JUSTICE Oklahoma Chapter

Ryan Walters would rather force #oklaed students to learn fake news about the 2020 election than improve the state's 49th ranking in education. "Everything they say about DEI, it applies more to White conservatives in the Republican party more than anything.” #indepthwithdeon

As Oklahoma student math scores sit near the bottom of the nation, people like former TU linebacker-turned math tutor Donnell Hawkins fill an outsized role in preparing the next generation of leaders. theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/04/11/f...

A spokesperson for OFS told me, “Our deepest gratitude goes out to the legislators, state and local officials, dedicated partners, and supporters across Oklahoma who are making it clear that they back Oklahoma Forestry Services and its mission.” theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/04/04/o...

An Oklahoma prison tried to cremate a prisoners body before the family knew he was even dead. Now Republican Rep JJ Humphrey is working with the family of Marquiel Ross to demand an investigation and justice. #odoc #oklahomastatepen #indepthwithdeon #justice #marquielross #oklahoma #okleg

A new guide for LGBTQ+ travelers ranked 30 cities in the U.S. as safest in 2025, but not a single city in Oklahoma made the cut. Black Queer Tulsa's Daniel McHenry and Freedom Oklahoma's Nicole McAfee told me they were disappointed but not surprised. theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/03/31/o...

Republican Rep. JJ Humphrey admits his police anti-doxxing bill has gaps that law enforcement has exploited two years after I first brought those concerns to him as a journalist. Now a sheriff in Oklahoma is going after a police whistleblower. #indepthwithdeonpodcast

“The Democratic Party needs to do more than release statements, it needs to fund the fight,” Kristi Williams told me. “It’s time to stop playing defense and start protecting the people, the programs and the history that white supremacy is trying to erase." theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/03/28/t...

When scholars of authoritarianism and fascism leave U.S. universities because of the deteriorating political situation here, we should really worry.

"You're just a token": Dr. George Henderson says good tokens are able to open the doors "for the next one and the next one." Over a six-decade career at the University of Oklahoma, he's opened thousands of doors for the Black folks who come after him. #indepthwithdeonpodcast

In response to my reporting of a U.S. citizen being temporally detained and questioned by immigration agents because she “fit the description”, I.C.E. denies racial profiling despite numerous other cases like this against Hispanic American citizens and even Tribal citizens.

I spoke with Iliana Pacheco, a nurse and U.S. citizen from New Jersey, who says she was detained and racially profiled by I.C.E. agents who allegedly said she "fit the description" of someone who's undocumented while at a Puerto Rican airport. theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/03/19/u...

"We enslaved Black people in the 19th Century," Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Hoskin Jr. says, describing the role enslaved Black people, later known as Cherokee Freedmen, played in building the economy of the Cherokee Nation. #cherokeenation #cherokeefreedmen #indepthwithdeonpodcast

Sebastien Beauzile’s recently announced cure from sickle cell disease brings hope to thousands of mostly Black Americans who suffer from the rare disease, but the $3 million cost of the gene-editing therapy raises question about access & affordability. theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/03/18/s...

"Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds." UMG has moved to dismiss Drake's lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us."

Of note: Oklahoma doesn't have a law saying you have to lower frequencies in electrical wires when winds exceed a certain speed. Gov. Kevin Stitt said live wires falling on brush led to some of the fires.

"The Cherokee Nation existed before anyone ever heard of the United States. Before anyone invented the state of Oklahoma, there was a Cherokee Nation." Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. joins In Depth With Deon Podcast.

Public school advocates are celebrating after the Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily blocked Ryan Walters from mandating a Bible curriculum in classrooms, but his efforts to upend the U.S. and Oklahoma Constitutions show no signs of stopping. theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/03/12/r...

International law states forced displacement is always unlawful “when it is based on policies of apartheid, ethnic cleansing or similar practices aimed at/or resulting in altering the ethnic, religious or racial composition of the affected population.” theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/02/10/t...

Tulsa’s Tyrance Billingsley II, a son of Greenwood, is leading the transformation of Black Wall Street into a premier Black tech hub. Don’t call it a comeback. Call it Black Tech Street. #new episode drops this Friday anywhere you get your podcasts. #indepthwithdeonpodcast

"[A] democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism—ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power." - FDR (1938)

At Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in D.C. where Rev. Al Sharpton is about to host a rally in honor of #MLKDay #mlkday2025 Follow @thebwstimes.bsky.social for our coverage.

Reports from the BBC & the Associated Press appeared to paint Saturday’s People’s March as pointless, powerless and poorly attended. Yet, the passion and resolve to defend multicultural democracy was clearly visible. Check out our on-the-ground coverage: theblackwallsttimes.com/2025/01/19/p...

Tulsa’s Sheyda Brown says Oklahoma education should focus on reading, not bibles in the classroom. 10 DAYS until the relaunch of #indepthwithdeonpodcast Full episodes on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcast, and @thebwstimes.bsky.social starting Friday, Jan. 24. #oklaed

“It shouldn’t matter that I’m gay. It shouldn’t matter that I’m Black. It shouldn’t matter that I’m a woman.” -Amnoni Myers on recognizing identity and privilege. Full episodes on YouTube #indepthwithfeonpod

Join me for an important discussion on domestic violence in Oklahoma. tulsaopera.com/opera-echoes/

News release from the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty: NC campaign for death row commutations ends with a historic grant of clemency. nccadp.org/nc-campaign-... @aclu.bsky.social @aclunc.bsky.social @ncjustice.bsky.social @8thamendment.org

Starbucks is one of those companies that built its brand-identity on being progressive and ethical. It’s been interesting to watch how this company has moved in the last decade or so.

When you’re trying to make a point about an historic election, but someone in the studio has to use the bathroom. Full episode: www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

The same night millions around the country were mourning the results of the presidential election, there was a celebration in Tulsa’s Greenwood District with Monroe Nichols elected first Black mayor. Full episode: www.patreon.com/posts/episod... Presented by @thebwstimes.bsky.social

While Oklahoma heads into Christmas with blood on its hands from a recent execution, Biden announced today he's commuting the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row prisoners to life w/o parole. Trump executed 13 people during his first term. Full story: theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/12/23/b...

Full episode: www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

I spoke with Sheyda Brown, deputy director of the Terence Crutcher Foundation, about how Tulsa elected its first Black mayor, a progressive Democrat, in some precincts that Trump won by over 60%. Out now early on Patreon or everywhere after the inauguration in January! #indepthwithdeonpodcast

NEW: A bill to make Black Wall Street Oklahoma's first national monument passed the U.S. Senate with unanimous consent. It now awaits a full vote in the chaotic House. Full story: theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/12/19/b...

Americans continue to donate increasing amounts to charities each year, but a new study shows how wealth management funds and private foundations are hoarding a large percentage of charitable giving for profitable tax benefits. Full story: theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/12/18/s...

A year ago, I wrote an article not realizing it could be about my own ancestors. After digging into my granny’s ancestry, I’ve discovered my great-great-grandmother Cynthia Gibson (later Cynthia Thomas) was a @CherokeeNation Freedman on the Dawes Roll. 🧵 theblackwallsttimes.com/2023/08/08/t...

As some Oklahomans prepare to celebrate the birth, death and resurrection of a man devoted to the redemption of humanity, Oklahoma’s evangelical elected officials will carry out the execution of Kevin Underwood, the final execution of 2024 in the U.S. theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/12/16/a...

The free press faces an epic battle over the next four years with an administration that has threatened and surveiled journalists. What’s being attacked is the public’s right to know and to decide what type of government they want. Thank you @velshimsnbc.bsky.social www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp-vi...

The day I realized I’m the main character of MY story but not the main character of THE story is the day I learned that using my abilities to elevate the voices of other people is far more powerful and impactful than anything I could ever do myself.

I spoke with Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols about his historic win and his plans to pursue his ambitions agenda. "The big thing has been making sure we're building a team that can deliver on the promises we made during the campaign." Check out a clip from our interview: bit.ly/MayorNichols...

I spoke with Tulsa Remote transplant Amnoni Myers, an author, entrepreneur, Black queer woman and survivor of the foster care system, who gave an unapologetic review of the struggles between remote and local Tulsans, along with tools to bridge the divide.

"What I didn’t realize was that I would also be seen as a gentrifier as a Black person, you know? And that within itself was something that I had to acknowledge because [the Tulsa Race Massacre] wasn’t something I was aware of when I first moved here." theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/12/11/h...

**BREAKING** **KFOR WINS FIRST AMENDMENT BATTLE WITH OSDE*** This is a settlement agreement, reached between OSDE and KFOR-TV just as KFOR’s lawsuit against OSDE was set to head to trial this morning. KFOR sued OSDE for denying KFOR access to state school board meetings…

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates employers in Oklahoma have kept more than $1.3 million from more than 1,600 workers. www.publicradiotulsa.org/local-region...

INBOX: Tulsa Police Department receives $2.5M federal grant to further investigate Sexual Assault Kits. “…there is more work to be done as we seek to do right by our neighbors and for the victims of these senseless crimes,” Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said.

The outpouring of grief & love from hundreds on social media showcased the impact Eboni Bunch had on many lives following the announcing of her death. The registered nurse, digital creator & bodybuilder leaves behind a mother, father, husband & daughter, Enix. theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/12/09/h...

NEW: a man in Oregon state prison has been in solitary confinement for more than 250 days. He’s a disabled combat veteran with PTSD - and the person to receive the harshest prison sentence in relation to 2020 BLM protests theintercept.com/2024/12/05/b...

DA Vicki Behenna charged OKC Police Sgt. Joseph Gibson with felony assault Thursday for brutally slamming 71-year-old Mr. Vu to the ground, but the disturbing instance of police violence is just the latest example of OKCPD’s callous disregard for human life. theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/12/06/o...