Dr. Sara Doolittle to Discuss New Book During Talk at Oklahoma Territorial Museum in Guthrie
August 20, 2026
Contact: Michael Williams
Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-282-1889
[email protected]
okhistory.org/territorialmuseum
GUTHRIE, Okla. — Dr. Sara Doolittle will present an author talk and book signing at the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library on Wednesday, September 2, starting at 6 p.m. Doolittle’s new book, “We Fought Back: The Black Legal Struggle for Education in Oklahoma Territory,” was released in August. Books will be available for purchase during the event.
Most people are familiar with the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, which held that state laws mandating racial segregation in public schools were unconstitutional. But what about the court cases that far preceded, and informed, this national ruling? They took place in smaller courts, in unsung parts of the United States, including in Oklahoma Territory. Decades before Brown v. Board, Black citizens in Oklahoma Territory worked to challenge legislation and local school board restrictions that segregated their schools. In “We Fought Back,” Doolittle analyzes a rich array of previously unexplored court challenges during Oklahoma’s territorial period (1889–1907), revealing how Black residents’ cases reshaped understandings of race, citizenship, and the federal role in American schooling.
Doolittle is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Sciences, Foundations, and Research at the University of Central Oklahoma. Her scholarship explores the intersection of law, race and schooling, with a particular focus on 19th-century school segregation law. Doolittle brings more than two decades of experience as a high school English teacher to her work. A proud product of public schools, she earned her B.A. from the University of Kansas, her M.A. from the University of Colorado, and her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.
The event is free and open to the public. The Oklahoma Territorial Museum is located at 406 E. Oklahoma Ave. in Guthrie. For more information, please call 405-282-1889.
The Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications, the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit okhistory.org.
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Editor’s Note: Photos of the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library are available upon request.
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