Books

Stacy Abrams Speaks To A Sold Out Crowd In Tulsa

OKLAHOMA EAGLE — Former Georgia democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams spoke to a packed crowd in the gymnasium of Booker T. Washington High School last Friday evening during her recent visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Published

7 years ago

April 21, 2019

Oakland Post

By CJ Webber-Neal

Former Georgia democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams spoke to a packed crowd in the gymnasium of Booker T. Washington High School last Friday evening during her recent visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Abrams, part of the 2^nd Annual Tulsa LitFest, was at the event on Friday following the release of her most recent book, “Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change.”

Stacy Abrams has become a rising national star in the months after being defeated in the Georgia governor’s race last year. She is being heavily recruited to run for the U.S. Senate, is contemplating another campaign for governor and is even considering making a presidential bid, although people close to her say she is more likely to pursue a Senate campaign.

Abrams’ part in LitFest, “An Evening with Stacey Abrams,” sold out quickly. Literaries, politicos, and fans of all backgrounds filed the basketball arena at Booker T. Washington High School to hear her words.

Abrams told the crowd that she knew very well of Tulsa’s history and knew of the destruction that happened in 1921, commonly referred to as the Tulsa race riot. She was astonished when the emcee referred to the event as a massacre while they spoke backstage.

Abrams, who was a state representative in Georgia for 11 years, earned national attention when she presented the Democrat Party’s response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech this year.

She has published several novels under the pseudonym Selena Montgomery. Her most recent book, the nonfiction “Lead from the Outside,” has recently been released in paperback with a new preface that deals with her recent gubernatorial campaign.

Speaking with Ms. Abrams back stage after the event, she was asked to expound a bit more on her views towards true reconciliation, as the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre approaches.

Ms. Abrams states, “Reconciliation requires first and foremost that you acknowledge the truth about what happened here in Tulsa. I think the language being used (referring to it as a Massacre and not a riot) is incredibly important. One version puts the blame on the victims’ while the other recognizes the deep needed harm and pain that still remains because of the event”. She went on to say, “Have a clear articulation of what atonement looks like, but most importantly you must create space for people to be able to reconcile. If reconciliation requires everyone to respond in the same way, at the same moment, then it will not be real. It has to be a process, even if its 100 years in the making the true evolution of change takes time”.

Her advise to young African-American women in Tulsa who may be going through some struggles, but aspire to follow and be like her, she says this: “Understand it will get better, but it’s not going to happen on it’s own. Figure out who you are, and be clear about it, don’t let people tell you that you are less than because you are different than.” Abrams went on to say, “Write down not just your dreams, but also provide a path on how to get there, and have a clear articulation of your goals. Often our ability (as African American women) is muted by a lack of a clear path of how to achieve our dream. The reason why we often miss our mark is because there has not been someone there to tell us how to get to that point where we desire to be. Finally, look for people who can help you in that path, seek like minded people who desire to help you ascend to the life you are seeking, and the future you desire.”

This article originally appeared in the Oklahoma Eagle.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Author Mignette Dorsey takes top prize

Don't Miss

Anacostia Community Museum Teams with Libraries

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Black History

George Cook: The Inventor Who Made Fishing Smarter

Published

6 days ago

August 9, 2026

bpusa-syndication

A copy of the patent for George Cook’s Automatic Fishing Device. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

George Cook was a Black American inventor from Louisville, Kentucky. He was born in 1863, during a time when Black Americans faced unfair laws, limited opportunities, and many barriers to education, jobs, and recognition. Even with these challenges, he became known for his intelligence, honesty, and ability to think in practical ways. Some records say he worked as a cook for Buffalo Bill Cody and later as a chef on a private dining car for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. He was even known by the nickname “Honest Mister Cook.”

As with many Black American inventors and scientists of that era, there is little biographical information about Mr. Cook.

Cook’s most famous invention was the Automatic Fishing Device. He received U.S. Patent No. 625,829 for it on May 30, 1899. His patent shows that he was not just someone with an idea, but someone who made it happen.

So, what did the Automatic Fishing Device do? Imagine fishing with a line in the water. Usually, you have to watch carefully and pull the line at just the right moment when a fish bites. Cook wanted to make that process easier. His device was designed to react when a fish pulled on the line. The tension from the fish would trigger a lever. That lever would release a spring-loaded part of the device, causing it to move quickly and help pull in the line. The device also had an alarm gong that would ring to let the fisher know something was happening.

This invention was important because it used simple mechanical ideas in a clever way. Springs, levers, rails, and alarms were not new by themselves, but Cook combined them to solve a real problem. His device showed how inventors often take familiar parts and arrange them in a new way to make life easier.

Cook looked at fishing and asked, “How can this be improved?” Then, he created a device that could respond automatically when a fish tugged on the line. His invention let fishermen relax instead of watching the line for hours, trusting the alarm to alert them.

Cook may not be as famous as some inventors, but his Automatic Fishing Device shows that creativity and innovation can be applied anywhere. His legacy lives on as part of the larger story of Black innovation in America.