Civil Rights Trail funding approved ahead of Juneteenth celebration

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Kevin Matthews is expressing gratitude to his fellow members, the governor and fellow Oklahomans after approval of $1.5 million in funding for the development of Oklahoma’s Civil Rights Trail. Matthews, D-Tulsa, Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City, authored the initial legislation in 2023 for the creation of the trail, and legislation in the 2024 session for funding, which was ultimately included in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget signed this past week.

“As our entire nation celebrates emancipation on Juneteenth, it is fitting we’ve now taken another step forward in making Oklahoma’s Civil Rights Trail a reality,” Matthews said. “I think it is especially meaningful that from beginning to end, this has been a truly bipartisan effort to highlight the important role our state has played in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. I am deeply grateful for the overwhelming support this project has received.”

The trail will highlight the state’s Black towns and locations important to the Civil Rights Movement as well as Native American sites of historic significance. 

“I’m pleased the state budget includes funding to develop Oklahoma’s Civil Rights Trail, which will start at the Standing Bear Museum and Education Center in Ponca City and go through Fairfax,” Coleman said. “This trail will highlight historical landmarks that are significant to Native American tribes and better educate the public about Oklahoma’s role in the Civil Rights Movement. I look forward to this historic trail coming to fruition to inform residents and visitors about our state’s history.”

From Fairfax, the trail will continue through the state’s all Black communities, including Boley, Brooksville, Clearview, Grayson, Langston, Lima, Red Bird, Rentiesville, Summit, Taft, Tatums, Tullahassee, and Vernon. The trail then moves to Greenwood Rising and the Pathway to Hope, in Tulsa, before ending at the Clara Luper Center, to be built in Oklahoma City.

“I am very pleased that the legislature was able to include funding for the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail in this year’s state budget,” Lowe said. “We successfully passed SB 509 last year, which created the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail. Now, we are able to provide funding to this important project, which will educate Oklahomans, as well as provide all-Black towns and locations with increased tourism and revenue.”

"I am grateful that the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trial, which will begin in my hometown of Ponca City, has received funding in this year's budget," Luttrell said. "This initiative will provide visitors with a deeper understanding of our state's history and honor both our African American and Native American leaders."

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For more information, contact:  
Sen. Kevin Matthews at 918-955-2283, or Kevin.Matthews@oksenate.gov
Sen. Bill Coleman at 405-521-5581, or Bill.Coleman@oksenate.gov
Rep. Jason Lowe at 405-557-7367, or Jason.Lowe@okhouse.gov
Rep. Ken Luttrell at 405-557-7355, or Ken.Luttrell@okhouse.gov