Local Heroes Echo-Hawk and Johnson Honored in Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame

Debra Echo-Hawk and Hannibal B. Johnson were honored at the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame. The event was held at the Oklahoma History Center on March 21, 2024. Echo-Hawk, a Pawnee tribe member, leads the Pawnee Seed Preservation Society. This nonprofit in Pawnee, Oklahoma, works to save endangered heirloom seeds. Echo-Hawk has helped save several types of ancestral corn. In 2003, she started growing the last seeds of a corn type called Eagle Corn. The first successful harvest was in Nebraska two years later. Now, the society has 24 types of ancestral corn.

Hannibal B. Johnson is an author, lawyer, and consultant. He is part of the 400 Years of African American History Commission. This group plans activities to mark the 400th anniversary of Africans' arrival in the English colonies in 1619. Johnson has led many nonprofit organizations at local, state, and national levels. He has written 11 books about the African American experience in Oklahoma. Johnson has been recognized for his community service, including being inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Trait Thompson, the head of the Oklahoma Historical Society, thanked Echo-Hawk and Johnson for their work. He looks forward to their future contributions to Oklahoma's history and culture.

Sen. Kevin Matthews of Tulsa and Rep. Bob Ed Culver of Tahlequah received the Guardian of History Award for their work in the Oklahoma Legislature. This is the third year this award has been given to lawmakers who support the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Several other awards were also given out at the event. These included awards for an outstanding book, article, project, dissertation or thesis on Oklahoma history, an outstanding student historian, and an outstanding social studies teacher. The event was hosted by Karen Keith, a Tulsa County Commissioner and Vice President of the OHS Board.

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