Linda W. Reese, Author at

Independent Historian

Dr. Linda Reese is a former Assistant Professor of United States History, Women’s History, and Oklahoma History at East Central University (Oklahoma). Her research focuses on women of color in the American West and the struggle for racial, economic, and gender equality in 20th century America. She is the author of Women of Oklahoma, 1890-1920 (University of Oklahoma Press, 1997) as well as journal and encyclopedia articles. Since the publication of “Cherokee Freedwomen in Indian Territory, 1863-1890,” in Western Historical Quarterly (Autumn 2002), she has been at work on a book examining the Freedwomen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma. She is the winner of the 2003 Coordinating Council for Women in History Catherine Prelinger Award.

Sarah Rector (1902–1967)

Sarah Rector received international attention at the age of eleven when The Kansas City Star in 1913 publicized the headline, “Millions to a Negro Girl.” From that moment Rector’s life became a cauldron of misinformation, legal and financial maneuvering, and public speculation. Rector was born … Read MoreSarah Rector (1902–1967)

Francis Hall Johnson (1888-1970)

Composer and musician Hall Johnson was born in Athens, Georgia in 1888 to Alice Virginia Sanson Johnson and William Decker Johnson, a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. His musical talent was apparent from childhood when he studied piano with his older sister, Mary, … Read MoreFrancis Hall Johnson (1888-1970)

Joseph Silvestre White (1835–1918)

Jose Silvestre de Los Dolores White y Lafitte in 1856 Image Ownership: Public Domain Composer and violinist Jose Silvestre White was born in Matansas, Cuba in 1835 to Don Carlos White and an Afro-Cuban mother. His father gave White his first instruction in violin, and … Read MoreJoseph Silvestre White (1835–1918)

Caterina Jarboro (1903-1986)

Caterina Jarboro was born one of three children in Wilmington, North Carolina, to an American Indian mother and a black father who was a local barber. She was christened Katherine Lee Yarborough at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Wilmington. She received elementary school education at … Read MoreCaterina Jarboro (1903-1986)

Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953)

Florence Beatrice Smith, the first black woman composer to garner an international reputation, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1887, to James H. Smith, a dentist, and Florence Gulliver Smith, a former school teacher and private lesson piano teacher who also managed several local … Read MoreFlorence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953)

Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987)

Septima Poinsette Clark is perhaps the only woman to play a significant role in educating African Americans for full citizenship rights without gaining sufficient recognition. Clark was born the second of eight children in Charleston, South Carolina, to Peter Poinsette, a former slave, and his … Read MoreSeptima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987)

Barbara Ann Posey Jones (1943- )

In 1958, Barbara Ann Posey, then a high school student, emerged as one of the most important youth leaders in the campaign which began that year to desegregate the major public accommodations in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Posey’s public stand against racial injustice began when she … Read MoreBarbara Ann Posey Jones (1943- )

George W. McLaurin (1887-1968)

George W. McLaurin provided the Oklahoma civil rights case that damaged the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” legal position beyond repair. He held a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and taught at the all-black Langston University until 1948. NAACP attorney Thurgood … Read MoreGeorge W. McLaurin (1887-1968)

Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher (1924-1995)

Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was a leading activist, attorney, and educator who opened higher education to African American students in Oklahoma, and laid the foundation for the Brown v. Board of Education decision. After graduating from the segregated Langston University in 1945, Fisher volunteered to … Read MoreAda Lois Sipuel Fisher (1924-1995)

Clara Luper (1923-2011)

Clara Mae Luper was born in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, to Ezell and Isabell Shepard on May 3, 1923. She attended all-Black schools and was bussed several miles to Grayson High School, where she graduated in a class of five. After graduating from the segregated Langston … Read MoreClara Luper (1923-2011)