Ebony Johnson, Ph.D., is the first Black woman appointed to run the Tulsa, Oklahoma, school system — marking an significant moment in that community’s racial history.
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Dr. Johnson, who has been in education for the last 24 years, served as interim superintendent of the school system before her position was made enduring. “It felt amazing because the community spoke to what we need to do right now,” she told New8 Tulsa. “There was a lot of, of course, wondering around inputs, how people feel, the community feels, and I feel like the community responded. I also just called it an honor to be named at a time such as this, when we really need some strong leadership; we need consistency, and the students need to know that things are moving in the right direction. They deserve that.”
Tulsa has a complicated history when it comes to race. It was the home of the burgeoning “Black Wall Street,” a community of financially successful Black Americans. It was also the site of the Tulsa Race massacre, where an estimated 300 Black Americans in the community were killed, and “Black Wall Street” was destroyed.
More recently, it’s all been the source of resistance to the erasure of teaching Black History. A state law passed in 2021 essentially banned teaching about racism and sexism, prompting absurd remarks from the Republican Oklahoma State Superintendent who urged schools to teach about the Tulsa Race massacre without discussing race.
Black educators in Tulsa banded together to provide free non-school affiliated lessons on Black history for children on the weekend. And despite the ban on teaching about racism, the Tulsa school system allows students to take AP African American studies.
Walters, the state Superintendent, fought against Dr. Johnson’s appointment to the position, arguing that she was taking the district in a negative direction. The fresh Superintendent, who was voted in by the Tulsa Public School Board, clapped back, explaining all of the reasons she was qualified and prepared to take on the role.
Based on his extreme opposition to her tenure and her response, it seems likely that Walters and other state Republicans will find a fierce opponent in Dr. Johnson for the ensuing wars over education to come.
