Story

Storyteller: Dr. Alicia Odewale

At the old entrance gates of Langston University stands a towering American Elm known as the Langston Gateway Tree. Believed to predate the University’s founding in 1897, the tree marks not only the threshold of Oklahoma’s only Historically Black College/University (HBCU) but also the gateway into Langston City itself.

Rooted long before the institution took shape, the elm has watched generations pass beneath its branches. It stood witness as Langston City emerged as a freedom colony, offering Black families a place to build lives, businesses, and futures beyond the reach of violent segregationist policies. It saw the earliest students arrive at the new college, carrying books, hopes, and the weight of possibility. It has shaded faculty, alumni, and community members who shaped Langston into a cornerstone of Black education in the Midwest.

More than a campus landmark, the Langston Gateway Tree is a living archive. Its rings hold the memory of the town’s founding, the University’s growth, and the countless stories of those who walked through its gateway seeking opportunity. For over a century, it has stood as a quiet guardian of Langston’s legacy—an emblem of endurance, scholarship, and community pride.

Today, the tree continues to welcome new generations, reminding all who pass beneath it that Langston University and Langston City were built through vision, resilience, and the pursuit of Black self‑determination. It remains a sentinel at the threshold of history, education, and collective memory.