In 1975, Ellison was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and his hometown of Oklahoma City honored him with the dedication of the Ralph Waldo Ellison Library.
Roku 1975 byl Ellison zvolen do společnosti The American Academy of Arts and Letters a jeho rodné město Oklahoma City ho poctilo tím, že po něm pojmenovalo knihovnu (Ralph Waldo Ellison Library).