Eleven-month program will provide resources and opportunities to understand race and race relations in Oklahoma

Leadership Oklahoma recently announced the launch of "Advancing Oklahoma," a statewide conversation on race, presented by Paycom. A program for members of Leadership Oklahoma, The Oklahoma Academy, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Advancing Oklahoma begins on June 16 and will facilitate a lengthy, constructive dialogue about race and race relations in Oklahoma.

“Advancing Oklahoma has a topic-driven framework to encourage an honest discussion around race, social justice and inequities. As a state, we must strive to create an inclusive culture based on a greater understanding and appreciation of our diversity,” said Lana Reynolds, Board Chair of Leadership Oklahoma. “Everything we do at Leadership Oklahoma focuses on strengthening and advancing our state. Helping Oklahomans embrace inclusion and equity is more important now than ever before. We appreciate our partners, like lead sponsor Paycom, for facilitating this important program.”

Advancing Oklahoma will offer two-hour sessions each month from June 2021 through April 2022. Local and national experts will lead the discussions, and topics will include Oklahoma's racial history and race relations in the context of education, business, government and the criminal justice system, among other topics.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to create a space where we can continue a necessary conversation about a relevant topic in our state," said AJ Griffin, director of government and community affairs at Paycom. "By bringing in experts and five well-established statewide nonprofits, Advancing Oklahoma will address the topic of race and race relations head-on in a productive and empathetic way. I look forward to learning more during the sessions."

Advancing Oklahoma's meetings will occur via Zoom and are free for members of the five partnering organizations. For more information about Advancing Oklahoma or to register, visit www.advancingoklahoma.com. Topics and dates can be found below.

Advancing Oklahoma Topics & Dates

Introduction and overview; establish goals, thesis, terms, expectations and definitions; understanding Oklahoma’s current and future demographics (June 16, 2021)

Examining Oklahoma’s views and opinions on race; review and analysis of opinion research (July 15, 2021)

History: How we can gain empathy and understanding from the Trail of Tears, Oklahoma Land Run, and Tulsa Race Massacre; how historical trauma impacts communities of color (August 12, 2021)

Education: How we can appropriately talk about race, racism and equity in the classroom (September 9, 2021)

Image: How Oklahoma’s views on race affects its reputation, recruitment of business, visitors, and conventions, and its place on the national stage (October 14, 2021)

Everyday Conversations: Discussing race and racism in everyday settings: at home, at work, in social circles, and online (November 17, 2021)

Criminal Justice: Understanding race in the state’s criminal justice system: law enforcement, the courts system, and among prison populations (December 9, 2021)

Civics: What civic involvement, representation, the census, and elections means to minority populations (January 13, 2022)

Business: What Oklahoma can do to build and attract more top-level businesspersons of color; how to build a more vibrant minority-owned business climate; the business community’s role in race relations (February 17, 2022)

Advocacy: Black Lives Matter, Hispanic Heritage Month and Indigenous People’s Day: what modern movements in social justice means to Oklahoma (March 10, 2022)

The Future; Conclusion: Viewing Oklahoma through the eyes of our younger generations, i.e., teens through Millennials; how to apply the lessons of this yearlong program (April 14, 2022)

For more information about Leadership Oklahoma, visit www.leadershipoklahoma.com or Advancing Oklahoma, visit www.advancingoklahoma.com