AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File

Just as the GOP announced an outreach campaign to minority communities, Oklahoma got its first black Speaker of the House. And he happens to be a Republican.

According to The Daily Caller (via EUR), Tahrohon Wayne Shannon, 34, has taken the coveted post. “He’s not only their first, but youngest ever, and the ‘first African American Republican speaker in the country since Reconstruction,’” the article says, quoting the National Conference of State Legislatures.”

Shannon is a sixth-generation Oklahoman and member of the Chickasaw Nation.

The  GOP is a already prepared to parade out Shannon’s success. He was invited to the widely-covered Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which is one of the places where future Republican presidential candidates are chosen.  This year, the conference notoriously shunned New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was a Republican darling through this most recent election. Many believe he was not invited because of  his alliance and praise of President Obama during Hurricane Sandy.

It was during this conference that Speaker Shannon spoke about Oklahoma’s brand of diversity. “In Oklahoma, we’ve got urban areas, rural areas, Native American tribes, oil and gas activity. We’ve got a lot of opinions and ideas,” The Daily Caller reports.

Do you think Shannon will help the GOP’s efforts to attract more African Americans to the party?

Source: YouTube.com

If she plays her cards right, Sweet Brown, should make a pretty penny off of the “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That” catch phrase for at least 2-3 years to come. And if this commercial is any indication of her business savvy, then maybe she’s on the right track.

Using her ever popular catch phrase, she stars in an Oklahoma dentist commercial. Watch it and let us know what you think.

Are you tired of the Sweet Brown catchphrases yet or should she continue to collect them checks.

From Eurthisnthat

There is a tragic story out of St. Louis, Missouri, that was thought to be a story of abandonment, but was really a homicide.

Ebony-Jackson Shelton, 30, was found stuffed in the trunk of her own car.  The last anyone heard from her, she was headed to her cousin’s home, but she never made it, according to St. Louis’ Fox 2 News.

The report includes a Facebook posting of a video of her newborn baby on his grandfather’s lap, spending quality time and her speaking to her new baby off camera telling him to talk to grandpa.

Read more Eurthisnthat.com.

iStockphoto

An Oklahoma mom, Ashley Warden, was issued a $2,500 fine after a passing police officer caught her three-year-old son urinating on the family’s front yard.

According to ABC13, the Piedmont, OK (heh!) police officer “wasn’t swayed by Warden’s argument that the offender was a toddler who’s still being potty trained.”

The town’s police chief says the ticket will be thrown out. And Piedmont (heh!) Mayor Valerie Thomerson took issue with the officer’s harsh punishment.

“Is it an embarrassment to our police department? Absolutely,” Mayor Thomerson told the AP. “Do I still support our police department Absolutely.”

The amount is excessive, but should the mother have been fined for her son’s actions? When should a parent be held responsible for law-breaking children?

Remember when the video of Antonine Dodson warning people to hide their loved ones was all the rage on the internet? Well, Oklahoma’s Sweet Brown might be coming for that coveted crown. It just so happened that a fire broke out in Sweet’s neighborhood and she was the person the news team wanted to speak with for their 40-something second package. I could describe how the interview went down, but it’s probably best if you just watch Sweet tell it in her own words.

Now for the analysis. We all know that network television is a business and there is certainly money to be made by featuring subjects who play into stereotypes. Sweet fits that bill to a tee. She’s wearing a headwrap, smiling to expose gold teeth and speaking in the type of ebonics one wouldn’t typically associate with Oklahoma. Those stereotypes aside though, I cannot help watching this video, over and over again. The light in her eyes, the cackle at the end as she describes her ailment and the way she pronounces “fire,” fahhhr absolutely slays me. In the past few hours,  I’ve watched Sweet’s video more than I ever watched Antoine. Am I wrong? Perhaps, but it still doesn’t take away from the fact that I find this video nothing short of hilarious.

What do you think, is Sweet more embarrassing than entertaining?

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Tommie Harris, member of the San Diego Chargers football team, has suffered a sadly similar experience to NFLer Chris Draft this week. On Sunday evening, his wife, Ashely Harris, passed away after being hospitalized just two days prior for a stroke or brain aneurysm.

Ashley was only 29, and she and and Tommie just said “I do” on New Year’s Day. The couple was planning a reception in Oklahoma where Tommie played college ball but sadly they weren’t able to finish their plans. The young mother had also recently given birth to the couple’s second child, 4-month-old Tinsley, and they also have a 3-year-old named Tyson together.

Family friend Bill Horn told the Chicago Sun-Times:

“Tommie has been overwhelmed by the support of his former teammates, the Bears organization and the city of Chicago. Please continue to pray for him as he and his children grieve the loss of his wife.”

Ashley and Tommie were visiting Oklahoma last week when Ashley suddenly collapsed and was taken to the hospital. An official cause of death has not yet been confirmed and the autopsy is currently pending. Ashley’s funeral will be held in her birthplace of New Orleans on Friday.We’re definitely sending prayers to the family.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Kimberly Crain, a third grade teacher at McLoud Elementary School in Oklahoma, attempted to spread holiday cheer the wrong way when she invited five students to her home for a Christmas-decorating party. The gathering quickly turned inappropriate when the teacher allegedly asked the girls to change into Christmas-themed bras and panties with words like “Ho, Ho” written on them, after which she filmed and took photos of the students while they ate pizza and decorated the tree.

And that’s not even the worst part.

According to KFOR-TV, this may just be the last of many inappropriate actions carried out by Ms. Crain. A student in her class said the teacher,

“has all the kids in her class Skype over the computer with an older man wearing glasses named ‘Uncle G’ and three to four times a week she would take photos of particular girls in the class posing on the desk and chairs using her personal cell phone.”

This is by far one of the most disturbing stories I’ve heard in a long time. It sounds like the teacher was running some sort of underage webcam peep show for creepers.

Crain has since resigned from her position without comment and so far police have seized three laptops, a flash drive, a portable hard drive, and an iPod from her home. The school superintendent said counselors are on hand to help victims if needed, and a substitute teacher will take over her class for now.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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By Alexis Garrett Stodghill

The Bureau of Indian Affairs issued a letter to the Cherokee Nation on Monday demanding that the tribe reinstate the black “Cherokee Freedmen” that had been members of their group since 1866. These blacks became legal members of the Cherokee Nation through a curious process. Their ancestors were slaves of wealthy tribesman who were brought to Oklahoma as part of a forced relocation in the 1830s. After the Civil War (during which their masters fought to defend the South), the freed slaves were promised that they would be counted as members of the tribe as part of a treaty between the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. government.

Now Cherokee leaders want to go back on that promise — and the U.S. isn’t having it. Last month the Cherokee Supreme Court voted to change their constitution to limit membership to those who could prove that they have Cherokee blood. This effectively ousted the black Cherokee Freedmen, stripping them of their right to vote and receive benefits like health care.

The United States has informed the Cherokee Nation that if they don’t reinstate the black Cherokee Freedmen and allow them to vote, America will not recognize the new chief slated to be elected on September 24. Interim chief Joe Crittenden had this to say in response, according to Reuters: “The Cherokee Nation will not be governed by the [Bureau of Indian Affairs].” Oh really?

The U.S. has responded by withholding a $33 million disbursement from the tribe until it gets its act together. Which is a smart move, because this is clearly about money. The Guardian describes the financial savings the tribe is clearly seeking to greedily garner by kicking the blacks out in more detail:

By Charlotte Young

One would think Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern had learned to think before she spoke. In 2008, she left everyone appalled by her remark that gay people are a greater threat to the U.S. than terrorists.

But the Republican lawmaker has once again put her foot in her mouth, and this time, the constituents may not be so forgiving.

CBS News reports that at a debate on the affirmative action bill last Wednesday, Kern declared that women don’t work as hard because they “tend to think a little bit more about their families.” She also questioned whether blacks have high numbers in prison because “they didn’t want to work hard in school.”

To say the least, Kern’s words have earned her a bit of criticism and public outcry. In an attempt to defuse the controversy, Kern has apologized and changed her opinion. Now, she says that “women are some of the hardest workers in the world,” and what she said did not come from her “true spirit.”

But the National Association of Colored People’s (NAACP) Oklahoma chapter is not impressed. Anthony Davis, the president of the NAACP’s Oklahoma Chapter, has rejected her apology and called for her resignation. He urges all of her constituents to call for her removal.

“Let’s send a message out that in Oklahoma we will not tolerate racism at its ugliest level,” said Davis.