Read This: The Bluest Eye

On the state Senate floor in the waning hours of the final day of the 2014 legislative session, Sen. Josh Brecheen (R-Coalgate) read a passage from Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye as part of his effort to derail Common… Read more [More...]

New school meals program can help kids in poverty

Oklahoma is a hungry state. A 2011 study ranked Oklahoma 15th nationwide for food insecurity; one in six Oklahomans lacks consistent access to adequate food. And food insecurity is higher for children than adults: one in four children was food-insecure… Read more [More...]

Shedding some sunlight on Oklahoma’s new solar and wind energy law (Guest Post: David Ocamb and Whitney Pearson)

David Ocamb is the Sierra Club, Oklahoma Chapter Director and registered lobbyist.  Whitney Pearson is the Associate Organizing Representative for the Beyond Coal Campaign in Oklahoma.  Governor Fallin recently signed into law SB 1456, which repeals the prohibition against utilities… Read more [More...]

Paying a poverty tax: The high cost of being poor in Oklahoma

Camille Landry is a writer, activist, and social justice advocate who lives in Oklahoma City.  This post is part of our “Neglected Oklahoma” series, which tells the stories of Oklahomans in situations where the basic necessities of life are hard… Read more [More...]

Most full-time minimum wage workers don’t live with their parents

Oklahoma made national news in April when it enacted a new law barring cities from establishing a mandatory minimum wage.  Oklahoma is not the only state with a blanket ban on raising the minimum wage; a handful of other states… Read more [More...]

We should expand America’s most successful anti-poverty program

This post is by OK Policy intern Haley Stritzel. Haley is a University of Tulsa student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies. In his budget plan for next year, President Obama has proposed expanding… Read more [More...]

MyRA: New options for working Oklahomans

During the 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama announced a new savings initiative, appropriately titled ‘MyRA’.  Created by executive order, the MyRA is a simple retirement savings account that will be available (after an initial pilot period) to… Read more [More...]

I get knocked down (Guest post: Camille Landry)

Camille Landry is a writer, activist, and social justice advocate who lives in Oklahoma City.  This post is part of our “Neglected Oklahoma” series, which tells the stories of Oklahomans in situations where the basic necessities of life are hard… Read more [More...]

Wind power in Eastern Oklahoma: Not in my backyard? (Guest post: Ryan Gentzler)

Ryan Gentzler is a Master of Public Administration student at the University of Oklahoma. Elected representatives of all stripes are eager to make known their support for an “all of the above” energy policy, taking advantage of nonrenewable fuels like… Read more [More...]

Rip-off U (Guest Post: Camille Landry)

Camille Landry is a writer, activist, and social justice advocate who lives in Oklahoma City.  This post is part of our “Neglected Oklahoma” series, which tells the stories of Oklahomans in situations where the basic necessities of life are hard… Read more [More...]