Hannah Atkins
Encyclopedia
Hannah Diggs Atkins was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
from 1968 to 1980, and the first African American
woman elected to it. She was later appointed to the simultaneous positions of Secretary of State of Oklahoma
and Secretary of Social Services, establishing her as the highest ranked female in Oklahoma state government until she retired in 1991.
to James and Mabel Diggs.
She earned a degree from St. Augustine College in Raleigh, North Carolina
and a library science degree from the University of Chicago
.She studied at the School of Law at Oklahoma City University
and earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma
in 1989 when she was 66 years old.
, 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
in Nashville. 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
. In 1989, she earned a Master's of Public Administration at the University of Oklahoma
.
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."
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter
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
she returned to Oklahoma. Between September and December 1982 she served as a consultant to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Governor Henry Bellmon
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, 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 recalls: "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.”
(1978). She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame
in 1982 and the Oklahoma Afro-American Hall of Fame 1983. .
In 1990, Oklahoma State University 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
, and, in 2000, an honorary doctorate from Oklahoma State University. 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 House of Representatives
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members are responsible for introducing and voting on bills and resolutions, providing legislative oversight for state agencies, and helping to craft the...
from 1968 to 1980, and the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman elected to it. She was later appointed to the simultaneous positions of Secretary of State of Oklahoma
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 only appointed constitutional member of the executive branch of the Oklahoma state government...
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 CarolinaWinston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
to James and Mabel Diggs.
She earned a degree from St. Augustine College in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
and a library science degree from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.She studied at the School of Law at Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
and earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
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 CollegeSt. Augustine's College (Raleigh)
Saint Augustine's College is a historically black college located in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. The college was founded in 1867 in Raleigh, North Carolina by prominent Episcopal clergy for the education of freed slaves.- History :...
, 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
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
in Nashville. 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
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
. In 1989, she earned a Master's of Public Administration at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
.
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
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
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
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
she returned to Oklahoma. Between September and December 1982 she served as a consultant to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Governor Henry Bellmon
Henry Bellmon
Henry Louis "Harry" Bellmon was an American Republican politician from Oklahoma. He was a member of the Oklahoma Legislature, the 18th and 23rd Governor of Oklahoma , and a two-term United States Senator.-Service in World War II:Bellmon was born in Tonkawa, Oklahoma and graduated from Billings...
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, 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 recalls: "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 OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
(1978). She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame
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; who serve or have served as role models to other...
in 1982 and the Oklahoma Afro-American Hall of Fame 1983. .
In 1990, Oklahoma State University 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
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, and, in 2000, an honorary doctorate from Oklahoma State University. 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.
Curriculum vitae
- Bachelor of Science from St. Augustine's College, Oklahoma (1943)
- Bachelor of Library Science from the University of Chicago (1949)
- Oklahoma House of Representatives (1968)
- 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)
- United Nations Delegate of the Thirty-fifth Assembly (1980 Jimmy Carter appointment)
- Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame (1982)
- Consultant to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (1982)
- Outstanding Woman of the Year, Town Club (1983)
- Assistant Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (1983–1987)
- 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)
- Oklahoma State University Endowed Chair (1999–1993)
- Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma (2000)
- Law and reference librarian for Oklahoma City Public Libraries and the Oklahoma State Library
- Democratic National Committee
- Professor of Law and Professor of Library Science at the University of Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Black Heritage Humanitarian Award
- RSU Constitution Award
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- Oklahoma Task Force for the Bombing Memorial
- American Civil Liberties Union
- National Association of Black Women Legislators
- Oklahoma Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
- Oklahoma Chapter of the National Women’t Political Causus
- Oklahoma Library Association Executive Board
- Oklahoma Black Political Caucus
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
- Lay reader in the Episcopal Church