Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1503289
As elected officials in various places around the country are attempting to distort, eliminate, or in some way belittle the importance of African-American heritage and history, as it relates to our existence in this country, in addition to shining a light on this unthinkable darkness by condemning their despicable, ignorant, actions, we do as our ancestors have done over the years, "light a candle" by bringing the irrefutable truth and tri- umphs that our history represents, center stage for the world see and to appreciate. These are the stories of a nation that can lead to Journeys of Lifetime . Tulsa, Oklahoma Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Election of The Honorable Mayor Dr, Lelia Foley- Davis The first African American woman elected mayor in the United States A gathering of dignitaries from the state of Oklahoma and across the country, along with indi- viduals from various sectors of life, commemorate a milestone in American History honoring an extraordinary African American lady. In January 1973, Lelia Foley, a divorced mother of five, surviving on welfare, ran for a spot on the school board of Taft, Oklahoma, an all-black town of 600 people. She lost the election, but shortly thereafter she became inspired by a book on the successful election of A. J. Cooper as mayor of Pritchard, Alabama. Raising $200 from interested parties, she ran for the town's top job. On April 3, 1973, the citizens of Taft elected Foley as mayor. Her election pre-dates that of Doris A. Davis, who was elected mayor of Compton, California later that year. In the wake of her victory, Foley conferred with Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. In 1974, Oklahoma named Foley Outstanding Woman of the Year. After losing her mayoral seat in the 1980s, she continued to serve her community. In 2000, now known as Lelia Foley-Davis, she regained her position as mayor. That same year, she ran unsuccessfully in the primary for an open seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in district 13 (when Democratic incumbent Bill Settle ran for Congress). Although she placed first in the initial primary with 35% of the vote, in the runoff, she lost to second-place finisher Allan Harder, 56-44% (Harder narrowly lost to Repub- lican Stuart Ericson). Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Allow BM&T to share stories highlighting African American EVENTS, EXPERIENCES and/or PERSONALITIES from YOUR destination, venue or organization. For this extraordinary merchandising opportunity; Submit no more than 500 words as a WORD doc., with a selection of 3-4 high resolution jpg. Images and your contact info. to: tourisman@aol.com , Att: B/A 250 editor. T e l l i n g t h e S t o r i e s o f a N a t i o n B M & T ••• July/August 2023 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 14 250 BLACK AMERICA © OUR U.S. SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL