King of the Bingo Game | Historical Context

Race in the South
Ralph Ellison was born in Oklahoma City, and during his childhood he encountered opposition from the city's white establishment. His mother was persecuted for her political activities on behalf of the Socialist Party Oklahoma's governor during Ellison's early years was the white supremacist "Alfalfa Bill" Murray. Murray established a very unfriendly atmosphere for blacks in Oklahoma, and the state saw at least one serious race riot during that period. Although Oklahoma is not a part of the South proper and was still Indian territory during the Civil War,...

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