Hannah Atkins
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Hannah Diggs Atkins (November 1, 1923 – June 17, 2010) was the member of the
Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...
for the 97th district from 1968 to 1980, and the first
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
woman elected to the
Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...
. She was later appointed to the simultaneous positions of
Secretary of State of Oklahoma The Secretary of State of the State of Oklahoma is the chief clerical officer of Oklahoma and a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary of State is the only appointed constitutional member of the executive branch of the Oklahom ...
and Secretary of Social Services, establishing her as the highest ranked female in Oklahoma state government until she retired in 1991.


Early life

Hannah Diggs was born on November 1, 1923, in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...
to James and Mabel (Kennedy) Diggs. Hannah was the fifth of six children born to the family. She and her sisters all obtained a bachelor's degree as well as a master's degree. Edward O. Diggs, her brother, was the first African-American to attend the University of North Carolina Medical School in 1961. Hannah was the first of her sisters to marry and the only one to have children. She attended segregated public schools in Winston-Salem and graduated as valedictorian at age 15 from Atkins High School. She earned a B.A. degree in French and Biology from St. Augustine College in
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
in 1943 and a library science degree from the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
in 1949. She studied at the School of Law at
Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and doctor ...
and earned a master's degree in Public Administration from the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
in 1989 when she was 66 years old.


Marriage and library career

Two days before earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in 1943 from St. Augustine's College, Hannah married Charles N. Atkins, a physician. The couple had three children: Edmund Earl, Charles Nathaniel and Valerie Ann. Atkins became a reference librarian in 1949 at
Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
in
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
. In 1950, the couple moved back to Winston-Salem, where she became the librarian at Kimberly Park Elementary. Regarding her beginnings as a librarian, Atkins says: "I was a librarian. I still am a book-aholic. I still collect too many books. I gave away about a thousand of them when I moved here, but we grew up surrounded by books as children, and when my Dad was in general contracting – when he'd return from South Carolina or wherever, he'd always bring us books instead of candy and junk things. He'd bring us books." In 1953, the Atkins family moved west to Oklahoma. Atkins became a branch librarian for the Oklahoma City Public Library until 1956. In 1962, she became a reference librarian for the Oklahoma State Library. After a year, she worked her way up to chief of general reference and acting law librarian. She became an instructor of law, as well as an instructor of library science, at
Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and doctor ...
. In 1989, she earned a Master's of Public Administration at the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
. As a librarian, Atkins served as a voice against both censorship and racism. On the back cover of ''The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown'':
The chief conclusion of 'The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown' is that Bartlesville was an example of the communities that were willing to deny or ignore public racist practices and to concentrate on censorship and use it as a tool to destroy any person perceived to believe in racial equity. It is a balanced presentation of an important case that has been buried for over forty years. ''The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown'' will be of interest to the civil rights and civil liberties communities as well as to librarians and historians.


Politics

Atikns is best known as the first African American woman to be elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. She served from 1968 until 1980 as the representative from the 97th District. Atkins authored many important bills during her tenure. She fought for health care, child welfare, mental health reform, women's rights and civil rights. She was Chairwoman of the Public and Mental Health Committee. She also served on the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, Commission on Education and Professional Standards Board, and Higher Education. In 1980, President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
named Atkins to the General Assembly of the 35th Session of the United Nations. She was a member of the Third Committee which concentrated on social and economic issues. Following her assignment at the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
she returned to Oklahoma. Between September and December 1982 she served as a consultant to the
Oklahoma Corporation Commission The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the U.S state of Oklahoma run by three statewide elected commissioners. Authorized to employ more than 400 employees, it regulates oil and gas drilling, utilities and teleph ...
. Governor
Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th and 23rd governor of Oklahoma, mai ...
selected Atkins as assistant director of the Department of Human Services in January 1983. Her responsibilities included the Division of Aging. She held this post until September 1987. In January 1987, she was selected as the Cabinet Secretary for Social Services. The following September Atkins' added Secretary of State to her duties and served in dual roles in the Cabinet. In addition to the traditional duties of a Secretary of State, she had oversight of the Department of Mental Health, the
Department of Corrections In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and su ...
, the Pardon and Parole Board and their related boards, councils and committees. She was the highest ranking woman in Oklahoma state government until her retirement in 1991. Remembering the challenge of becoming the Secretary of State of Oklahoma, Atkins recalled:
Not easy. No, no, no, no, no, no. It wasn't easy. I got hit over the head all the time, you know. First, I was a woman and then I was an African American. They will beat you up on those things. Oklahoma was still a southern attitude. But my daddy told me, 'Don't ever let that stop you. You have your ambition and you go ahead and do what you think you're cut out to do. Don't let any of those things stop you', and I tried to live that way.


Awards, positions and memberships

Throughout her career Hannah Atkins acquired numerous awards and honors, including Theta Sigma Pi Woman of the Year (1968), National Public Citizen (1975) and Hannah Atkins Day at the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
(1978). She was inducted into the
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma ...
in 1982 and the Oklahoma Afro-American Hall of Fame 1983. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2000. klahoma Hall of Fame: Hannah Diggs Atkinson/ref> Atkins was a member of
Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...
sorority and
The Links The Links is an American invitation-only social and service organization of prominent Black women in the United States. Founded in 1946, it is the largest nationwide organization of Black women in the USA. Members include multiple prominent wome ...
, Inc. In 1990,
Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
established an endowed chair in her honor, the Hannah Atkins Endowed Chair in Public Service. In 1998 Atkins received an honorary doctorate from the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
, and, in 2000, an honorary doctorate from
Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. Into the 21st century, Atkins continued to serve her community as a member of the Oklahoma Task Force for the Bombing Memorial. Her public papers are archived at
Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
.


Awards

* Theta Sigma Pi Woman of the Year (1968) * National Public Citizen of the Year (1975) * Merit Award, Mother of the Year (1976) * Hannah Atkins Day, University of Oklahoma (1978) * Oklahoma ACLU Angie Debo Award (1980) * Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame (1982) * Consultant to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (1982) * Outstanding Woman of the Year, Town Club (1983) * Cabinet Secretary of Oklahoma Social Services (1987–1991) * Oklahoma Secretary of State (1987–1991) * M.P.A. University of Oklahoma (1989) * National Governors Association Award for Distinguished Service to State Government (1990) * National Conference of Christians and Jews Humanitarian Award (1990) * RSU Constitution Award (1998) * Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma (2000) * Oklahoma Black Heritage Humanitarian Award


References


External links


Historic House Membership - Oklahoma House of RepresentativesWomen of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project -- OSU Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Hannah 1923 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics African-American history of Oklahoma African-American librarians African-American state legislators in Oklahoma African-American women in politics American librarians American librarianship and human rights American women librarians Deaths from cancer in Oklahoma Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Fisk University faculty Oklahoma City University alumni Politicians from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Secretaries of State of Oklahoma St. Augustine's University (North Carolina) alumni University of Chicago Graduate Library School alumni University of Oklahoma alumni Women state legislators in Oklahoma