OKC Thunder Creating Program That Helps Black Tulsa-Area Students

The Oklahoma City Thunder is starting a new program for students in the Tulsa area.

The franchise is launching the "Thunder Fellows Program," which is designed to create new opportunities for black students in the Tulsa community.

It focuses on helping students explore areas of sports, technology, and entertainment for two different groups.

The "fellows" will be students from colleges and universities in the area and the "young leaders" will be made up of 8th to 12th grade students at schools in the Tulsa area.

Curriculum will emphasize the importance of high school and college completion - and they hope to accomplish that through mentorship and skill development.

The program will be centered in Tulsa's Greenwood District. The organization and its partners are currently in the process of finding land in the greenwood district to build a new data and analytics center.

The Thunder said they will look to replicate this program in other cities.

The program will launch next year and will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre.