© 2026 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Poorest of the Poor

By Logan Layden

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwgs/local-kwgs-1002187.mp3

Norman, OK – Okfuskee County is home to what was once the largest all-black community in the country and legendary Dust Bowl-era folk singer Woody Guthrie. It also has the highest poverty rate in Oklahoma.

Decades after Guthrie recorded his songs about the struggles of the workingman, hard times continue in Okfuskee County.

That's especially true for tiny Boley, a historic, mostly black town that's among the poorest in the area.