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The Black Wall Street Times •

Rap artist Jabee Williams reflects on his 2025 tour with first major label

OKLAHOMA CITY — When Jabee Williams takes the stage, he doesn’t just rap — he collaborates, breathes joy into, and speaks truth about the reality of his community in Oklahoma. He’s not only known for his music, but also his activism in OKC and beyond. Williams is currently on tour across the U.S. with Minneapolis artist, Brother Ali.   This is Williams’ first tour since joining hip-hop label Mello Music Group.
The Black Wall Street Times •

Stitt vetoes Ida’s Law expansion to help Missing Murdered Indigenous People

OKLAHOMA CITY — On a day meant to honor and bring awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous people, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill that would have expanded Ida’s Law. The legislation was named after 29-year-old Ida Beard, a Cheyenne and Arapaho woman who disappeared in 2015. It would have mandated the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) to create the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons with federal dollars.
The Black Wall Street Times •

Water scientist drops Earth Day rap album to make climate change hit home

Deandre Presswood isn’t your typical scientist. A Ph.D. student at the University of Nevada, Reno, he specializes in hydrology, the science of water. Presswood also uses rap music to bring awareness to the climate crisis. His Earth Day EP blends scientific insight with lyrical rhythm. Doing this makes topics like water scarcity, infrastructure failure, and environmental injustice more relatable.
KGOU •

Jones Academy students await return of Choctaw Nation heirloom seeds from space

Seeds of Sweet potato squash (isito), Smith peas (tobi), flour corn (tanchi tohbi), lambsquarter greens (tvnishi), and Choctaw peas (chukfi), traveled with Choctaw families to Oklahoma from their ancestral homelands on the Trail of Tears.

Now, the Choctaw Nation’s Growing Hope seed bank has sent seeds from these traditional plants for a science experiment on the International Space Station. With the help of Boeing and Oklahoma State University, they were sent out last November on SpaceX’s 29th
KGOU •

Climate scientists need collaboration with tribal communities for solutions, OU study shows

The study, published by the American Meteorological Society, says tribal nations like the Otoe-Missouria are nearly 70% more susceptible to flooding than the general population in Oklahoma.

OU’s School of Meteorology and the Department of Native American Studies collaborated on the research, using regional climate models and flash flood models to help make climate-related risk assessments and recommendations for Native lands.

Zhi Li is the study's lead author and a recent meteorology school gr
KGOU •

Choctaw Nation receives $2 million in federal grants for climate pollution reduction

The Choctaw Nation received $2 million in federal grants from the EPA. The grants will be used to assess the cleanup of abandoned properties, greenhouse gas emissions, and viable climate solutions on tribal lands.

According to Tye Baker, the Choctaw Nation’s Senior Director of Environmental Protection Services, projects will start soon that will focus on reducing GHG and cleaning up the Talihina Indian Hospital Campus in Latimer County.
KGOU •

Nation’s first cobalt and nickel refinery breaks ground in Lawton, Oklahoma

The metals refinery startup, Westwin Elements, is building the nation’s first cobalt and nickel refinery in Lawton. The Bartlesville-based company is set to start building no later than October.

Gov. Kevin Stitt, and principal investor of Westwin Elements Dennis Muelinburg, broke ground on the refinery on Tuesday, calling it a matter of national security.

This comes at a time when, according to the International Energy Agency, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and China are responsible for
Black Wall Street Times •

Lawton's Indigenous communities cite lack of tribal consultation for Westwin refinery

LAWTON, Okla.–The U.S. currently relies on China and other foreign countries for critical minerals to produce electric vehicles and other technologies. However, recent developments by Westwin Elements in Lawton, Oklahoma–home to the nation’s first nickel and cobalt refinery–could shift the supply chain closer to home. As these projects promise to fuel the nation’s EV future, Indigenous communities in Oklahoma are raising alarms about environmental exploitation, experimentation and greenwashing,...
KOSU •

How Oklahoma farmers and landscapers adapt to extreme heat and severe weather

Micha Anderson has 11 acres of pecan trees and a half acre of fruits and vegetables on his farm in Piedmont, Oklahoma. Anderson has farmed his whole life in the state.

He grew up on a farm in Haskell, Oklahoma, where his grandmother taught him how to raise cattle, pigs and chickens, and how to grow sweet potatoes, watermelons and other crops.

Anderson also works as an extension agent for Langston University, where he teaches the next generation of Black farmers how to grow their own food and h
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