Newcomers to a New Land
Newcomers to a New Land was originally 26 five-minute radio programs about individuals and episodes in Oklahoma history. The programs were produced as part of the Oklahoma Image Project, a 3-year, statewide, grassroots effort that began in 1979 with the aim of increasing public awareness about Oklahoma's rich and varied multicultural heritage. The project was sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Oklahoma Library Association and funded by a $400,000 grant from National Endowment for the Humanities.
The project had two basic goals: first to produce a core of new materials on Oklahoma history that went beyond the traditional "cowboy and Indian, land runs and oil booms, dust bowl and depression," view of Oklahoma that predominates in the state's historical literature. Second, Oklahoma Image worked to see that these new materials were available to all citizens through the public library system and through the development of humanities programs in libraries and complementary institutions such as school, museums, and historical societies.
Linked below are the original radio programs reproduced in digital format for easier accessibility and for your listening and learning pleasure.