Hannah Atkins Remembered

Hannah Atkins was the first black woman elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. She was a truly remarkable woman and public official - filled with grace and poise and smart as a whip! Oklahoma State Representative Anastasia Pittman is quoted in today's Oklahoman article about Hannah that "She set the standard for how to represent one's constituents, how to lead. She also had poise and grace and was overall a very classy and remarkable woman and leader.” Atkins served in the Oklahoma Legislature 12 years. She later served as assistant director for aging services at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Under Gov. Henry Bellmon, she served as state Secretary of Social Services, Secretary of Human Resources, and Secretary of State. She was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as a delegate to the 35th General Assembly of the United Nations and went on to serve as Commissioner to the U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization from 1979 to 1982. Below are just a few of the many sights that sing praises to this remarkable woman:

~ June 19, 2010 article: http://stage.newsok.com/first-black-woman-elected-to-oklahoma-house-dies/article/3469633?

~ Hannah Atkins archival collection, Oklahoma State University: http://www.library.okstate.edu/scua/collect/atkins/index.htm

~ Wikipedia page on Hannah Atkins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Atkins

! Oklahoma Historical Society's page: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/A/AT002.html