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Quotes of the Day
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“It’s 57 years later and we are still saying ‘We have a dream.’ Something is wrong.”
-Rapper and activist Jabee Williams speaking at an Oklahoma City march commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech
“In Oklahoma we have created a criminal justice system that’s almost entirely based on punishment and retribution. The reality is there’s got to be elements of grace, there’s got to be opportunities for a second chance, there’s got to be a focus on redemption and reconciliation and restoration if we’re ever going to reach our full potential individually and collectively.”
-Kris Steele, director of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, speaking about the state’s need for criminal justice reforms [Daily Ardmoreite]
“This walkout, it seems to me, is a message to people on the players’ side. The people who understand what Black Lives Matter means. The people who know that Black parents feel they must educate their sons about being wary of police. The people who understand what Clippers coach Doc Rivers meant Tuesday when he said Blacks love America and America doesn’t love them back.”
-Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel writing about the NBA player walkouts in response to the Wisconsin police shooting of Jacob Blake [The Oklahoman]
“This is too important to put off any longer; there’s too much riding on the process.”
-Larry Sanders, Oklahoma State University Extension agricultural policy specialist speaking about the 2020 Census [Okemah News Leader]
“I can’t imagine being in a situation where you’re trying to figure out your housing and trying to figure out if it’s safe for your kid to go to school or to do distance learning.”
-Rev. Jeff Jaynes, executive director of Restore Hope, speaking about the need for reinstating a federal moratorium on evictions to reduce some of the fear and anxiety people are facing. [Public Radio Tulsa]
“(O)ut of 30 teachers, I’m going to be starting the school year with six employees basically gone because of COVID-related reasons. I thought, ‘That’s a fifth of my staff. How are we going to have school with a fifth of my staff gone?’”
-Dewar School Superintendent Todd Been [StateImpact Oklahoma]
“We’re a long way apart.”
-U.S. Sen. James Lankford speaking about partisan disagreement about the size and scope of the next federal relief package. [Tulsa World]
“It’s a lot of panicking, and I worry about the fact that my kids, and all kids are going to be so far behind.”
-Amy Davis, a widower with 13- and 10-year-old children enrolled in Deer Creek Public Schools, speaking about concerns for her children’s schooling with their partially online classroom schedule. [CNHI via The Ada News]
“How much does tuition cost per student? Is that worth my life?”
-University of Oklahoma Spanish instructor Sarah Warmker about her fall schedule to teach two in-person Spanish courses without online instruction options available. If she declines to teach, she could lose her health insurance. But, Warmker said she has only one kidney and worries about severe health consequences if she contracts COVID-19. [The Oklahoman]
“I think this pandemic has highlighted a lot of the issues in public education that we’ve turned a blind eye to.”
-Sarah Kirk, a school counselor at Kendall-Whittier Elementary, speaking about education needs. [The Oklahoman]
