Topic: Equal Opportunity

Ending single-family zoning would help close Oklahoma’s housing gap

Ending single-family zoning and allowing small multi-family homes is a proven path to improved housing availability and affordability; it’s one that Oklahoma policymakers should consider. [More...]

Oklahoma should work towards true housing equity

Legislative gaps in Oklahoma harm tenants, particularly households of color. The Oklahoma Residential Landlord Tenant Act (ORLTA), first adopted in 1978, needs to be updated to create equity. [More...]

Smart investments are the key to an equitable economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession

While macroeconomic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (the size of an economy) and the unemployment rate (the percentage of people who want work but can’t find it) are useful for measuring the overall health of an economy, they conceal inequalities and long-standing structural challenges that hurt many Oklahomans' ability to provide for themselves and participate in our economy.  [More...]

Oklahomans deserve state leadership

As a state, we can and must do a better job of protecting those around us. Through personal choices and a commitment from our leaders, Oklahoma can work together to save lives. [More...]

New KIDS COUNT Data Book ranks Oklahoma in bottom 10 states for child well-being

Oklahoma ranks in the bottom 10 states in the nation for child well-being, according to the 2019 KIDS COUNT® Data Book released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. With an overall ranking of 42nd out of all 50 states,… Read more [More...]

OKPolicyCast 49: Black Wall Street Times (with Nehemiah Frank)

In this episode I spoke to Nehemiah Frank. Nehemiah is the founder and executive editor of The Black Wall Street Times, an online newspaper that covers news relevant to the black community in Tulsa and social justice issues affecting all Tulsans and Oklahomans. [More...]

New economic rankings show Oklahoma falling further behind

There are quite a few reasons to be optimistic about Oklahoma this year. Unemployment is low and the state expects to have a budget surplus this year, the first in quite some time. But despite this good news, too many Oklahomans are still struggling to make ends meet and build a better future for themselves and their families. For the third straight year, Oklahoma has dropped in the Prosperity Now Scorecard rankings. This year, we rank 43rd in the financial health and overall well-being of our residents - that's down from 34th in 2016. [More...]

Episode 32: Danielle Allen, from South Central Los Angeles to the Declaration of Independence

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org. We’ve got… Read more [More...]

To improve public safety and insurance rates, allow undocumented Oklahomans to drive legally

This post is by OK Policy intern Jacob Tharp. Jacob is a recent University of Oklahoma graduate in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies. Oklahoma’s approximately 95,000 undocumented immigrants are a force in Oklahoma’s economy, accounting for about 1… Read more [More...]

Episode 30: DeVon Douglass on taking on Tulsa’s toughest challenges

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org. We spoke… Read more [More...]