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Dr. Karlos K. Hill
Regents’ Associate Professor of the Clara Luper Department of African & African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma & Expert on Anti-Black Violence & Historical Remembrance
Dr. Karlos K. Hill
Regents’ Associate Professor of the Clara Luper Department of African & African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma & Expert on Anti-Black Violence & Historical Remembrance
Biography
Dr. Karlos K. Hill is Advisor to the President for Community Engagement and Regents’ Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He is also a proud affiliate faculty within the OU History Department and the Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies.
Dr. Hill is the author of three books: Beyond The Rope: The Impact of Lynching on Black Culture and Memory, The Murder of Emmett Till: A Graphic History, and The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: A Photographic History. His book on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre won the 2022 Lynn McIntoch Award for Excellence, the 2022 Joan Kerr Patterson Book Award from the Western Historical Association, and 2022 Choice Outstanding Academic Title from the American Library Association.
Dr. Hill founded the Tulsa Race Massacre Oklahoma Teacher’s Institute to support teaching the history of the race massacre to thousands of middle school and high school students. He also serves on the boards of the Clara Luper Legacy Committee and the Board of Scholars for Facing History and Ourselves. He currently is a weekly guest and featured contributor to the Areva Martin in Real Time radio show based in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Hill writes a series for The Nation magazine featuring the stories and work of community activists organizing for justice in Black communities.
Speaker Videos
Beyond the Rope
Speech Topics
The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: Lessons & Legacies
In 1921, Tulsa’s Greenwood District “Black Wall Street” was one of the most affluent black communities in America. However, on May 31 and June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked Greenwood and as a result nearly every significant structure within the community was destroyed and as many of three hundred people were killed. Nearly one hundred years later, the race massacre continues to reverberate. Dr. Hill’s presentation will discuss the history of the race massacre, the lessons the history offers, and the current-day legacies that must be confronted.
The Importance of Black History Month/Juneteenth Commemorations
Historically, mainstream American history excluded black Americans’ contributions to U.S. society and typically demeaned black Americans as racial inferior. Only since the civil rights movement have African Americans and other racial minorities gained much deserved recognition. Black History Month and Juneteenth are important American institutions (regardless of the criticisms that have been launched against it) because it attempts to repair the accumulated damage that racism and historical amnesia have wreaked on American culture and society. In Dr. Hill’s presentations on Black History Month and Juneteenth, Dr. Hill argues that remembering Black people contributions as well as the sacrifices are more critical than ever to assessing the work that remains to be done.
Combating Police Brutality: Lessons from the 21st Century
Black Lives Matter activists contend that better officer training is not enough to solve the problem of police brutality. Rather true change won’t arrive until police officers who clearly violate established protocols are held accountable for using deadly force against non-threatening and unarmed blacks. Dr. Hill explains what has happened and what needs to happen to transform the culture of anti-Black violence in the United States and globally.
Other Presentation Topics
Dr. Karlos K. Hill is open and very interested in working with groups to develop customized speaking engagements to fit specific interests and/or goals. Make a proposal!
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