Custom Black Wall Street license plates first launched in 2019. Since then, they’ve become a key funder for Tulsa’s Juneteenth festival — and they’re now available for motorcyclists, too.
The plate costs $40, with $25 going to the festival fund, $8 to the Oklahoma Tax Commission for processing and $2 to the Oklahoma classroom supply fund. You can fully customize them at no extra cost.
Lauren Corbitt, executive director of Tulsa Juneteenth, Inc., says these sales are the only guaranteed source of funding for the annual event in the Historic Greenwood District.
“A license plate is something that you have to have regardless,” Corbitt told The Eagle. “To get a special license plate that also supports something that our community really is impacted by is outstanding.”
Juneteenth is a celebration of the official end of slavery in the United States in 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
Celebrations began in 1866 in Texas and spread throughout the country over time, but the holiday did not become federally recognized until 2021.
In November, the plates — which read “Remembering Black Wall Street” — were made available for motorcycles through legislation authored by state Sen. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, and former state Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City.
“We must remember the past, give thanks for our victories, and continue to work together to recognize the humanity and dignity of all people throughout the nation,” Lowe said in a statement. “For all those reasons, Juneteenth is an important celebration, and I’m grateful we’ll now have this additional resource for this event.”
The Senate and House unanimously voted to override a veto of an “omnibus license tag bill” restricting access to the tag to close out the 2025 legislative session.
“As a descendant of enslaved Black people, I’m grateful for freedom – Oklahomans have a way to celebrate this turning point in American history,” Goodwin said. “You only need one license plate – it’s great that people can purchase one that helps fund Juneteenth and celebrates Greenwood’s Black Wall Street without using tax dollars.”
To purchase a plate, you can visit your local tag agency and ask for a Historic Greenwood District license plate or visit Service Oklahoma’s website and fill out an online form.
Disclaimer: Regina Goodwin is a relative of Jim Goodwin and M. David Goodwin, both board members of The Oklahoma Eagle and Tulsa Flyer. News decisions at The Oklahoma Eagle are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
