Despite only calling Okmulgee home for the past few years, Brandon Dinsmore is constantly amazed at the sense of community he finds in the east-central Oklahoma community.
A citizen of the Cherokee Nation living within the Muscogee Nation Reservation, Dinsmore serves as the tribal outreach and workforce program specialist for the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, where he develops training programs for industries and organizations with a special focus on tribal economics and workforce development. Dinsmore says the goal involves creating tribal economic self-determination and sovereignty by creating meaningful partnerships between higher education and tribal nations.
“What drives me is empowering people with education, training and skills so they can achieve financial prosperity and upward social mobility,” Dinsmore said. “There is nothing more satisfying than giving someone the tools they need to thrive, then seeing them put those tools to good work to change the very systems that they overcame.”
Dinsmore also serves as one of NonDoc’s volunteer news ambassadors, helping connect the people of Okmulgee County with journalism content while sharing newsworthy happenings in his neck of the woods. In the following Q&A, Dinsmore offers community insights and shares his hopes for Okmulgee’s future. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity, grammar and style.
What makes the community of Okmulgee special?
Okmulgee is a truly unique community given its demographics. On one hand, it’s the capital of Muscogee Nation here in Oklahoma, and on the other, it’s a historic Black community. This creates a distinctive cultural landscape with tremendous opportunities to empower people toward more successful and rewarding lives.
The community is actively working to grow, and that growth will benefit the people who live here. While there have been historical challenges that have impacted Okmulgee, I believe we’re at a turning point. The Muscogee Nation is leading the way toward a better future. I think we’ll see that vision unfold over the next few years.
What is one annual event, festival or community tradition that you think everyone should experience?
Okmulgee has its annual Pecan Festival, and I think everybody should experience it. It’s fun and historically linked to the community and its members. There’s also the Muscogee Nation’s annual festival, which is an amazing experience, too. I believe everyone in the state should attend both, if possible.
Beyond these festivals, I encourage people to check out Okmulgee’s downtown district, which is growing and finding its identity right now. It’s incredible to witness this evolution happening in real time.
What’s a memory or moment in Okmulgee that has stuck with you over the years?Â
One moment that has stuck with me came vicariously though television, specifically the show Reservation Dogs. There’s a scene where Officer Big and one of the kids were sitting in a police car on what looked like an abandoned road, and in the background, you could see a large, old brick smokestack. The show showcased many places in Okmulgee that only life-long residents would really know — not really inside jokes so much as an inside knowledge of the people who grew up here — like the fact that those old smokestacks are also identified as Superfund sites, albeit not on the EPA National Priority List.
More personally, attending Muscogee Nation’s Sovereignty Day celebration this past summer was profoundly impactful. Principal Chief David Hill and Muscogee National Council members made it clear they are actively engaged in what appears to be a generational shift within tribal leadership. Witnessing this passing of the torch on such a significant day was truly remarkable and not something we often see anymore.
What are some local issues that you wish got more attention?Â
I believe Okmulgee is sometimes forgotten, and we need to pay more attention to people lacking basic necessities like housing, transportation, childcare and food security. We need to shift our perspective on visible struggles, seeing them as signs of issues to address helpfully rather than punitively.
The local legal system and jail could benefit from more resources and staff. Similarly, the homeless shelter needs additional funding. Rose Lynch is doing great work helping employ people at the thrift store, but more support is needed. Okmulgee is working hard, but these are trying times.
We desperately need affordable housing in Okmulgee — not high-end developments or landlords, but genuine affordable housing options or community housing initiatives. When a community comes together to support those struggling the most, the overall environment improves for everyone. Even simple improvements like enhancing city parks can significantly impact families’ outlooks by showing that the community cares.
Finally, we need to address the lingering impacts of systemic racism and poverty. While I’m not saying Okmulgee is inherently racist or impoverished, these issues exist to some degree and deserve attention and solutions.
What is the local media landscape like in your community, and how do you think it could be improved?
The media landscape in Okmulgee is adequate but could be more robust. Print media struggles due to lack of investment, making it difficult to reach the entire community through any specific channel. However, there is a great local radio station that does an excellent job keeping the community connected at a grassroots level. Social media doesn’t really fit the need, and it’s impossible not to be bombarded by advertising and disinformation. I value a good editor and dedicated journalists when I want to know what’s really happening in my community.
I believe more permanent media fixtures would benefit Okmulgee greatly. While we value The Okmulgee Times newspaper, increased funding would be fantastic. Perhaps we could consolidate all community media outlets into a single county-wide organization with greater resources to provide more comprehensive information? Or perhaps not. I don’t want to inject anything into the public conversation that isn’t wanted by the community at large.
I long for newspapers that are thick with information rather than ads and inserts. I’d much rather read about community developments than weekly store discounts.
What have you enjoyed about participating in NonDoc’s News Ambassador program?
I’ve really enjoyed NonDoc’s News Ambassador program because NonDoc is an incredibly respectable publication staffed by knowledgeable, compassionate, ethical and unbiased professionals dedicated to their mission. They provide coverage of topics that no one else addresses and have a level of access to details I haven’t seen elsewhere.
My first interaction with NonDoc involved something so surprising to me personally that I couldn’t believe it — yet it was covered by absolutely no other outlet. NonDoc consistently stays ahead of developing stories, often leaving me wondering how they manage to be so far ahead of everyone else. It’s an amazing publication with truly committed people behind it.
What are your hopes for the future of Okmulgee?
For Okmulgee’s future, I’d like to see updated infrastructure, specifically improvements to roads and bridges. I hope for development that is sustainable and environmentally conscious, not development merely for its own sake, but growth that makes sense for the community.
I believe strongly in investing in the people of Okmulgee. With the leadership of the Muscogee Nation and the passion of lifelong community members, I think that if the outside world would simply listen and respond appropriately to the requests of Okmulgee residents, we would see this community rapidly expand and accelerate its efforts to help community members thrive.
Okmulgee deserves our attention because of its rich history and, most importantly, because of its people and their stories. I invite anyone to spend a day in Okmulgee. You’ll meet some of the most interesting people you’ll ever encounter and discover more history per square block than most people realize.
