Topic: Race & Equity

Oklahomans deserve state leadership

By: Emma Morris
December 16, 2020 // Updated: December 15, 2020
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...]

Reducing Oklahoma’s court fines and fees is police reform

By: Damion Shade
December 9, 2020 // Updated: December 10, 2020
While much of this conversation has been focused on municipal budgets and inadequate funding for mental health and social services, it’s also critical that lawmakers consider how the system of court fines and fees contributes to racial disparities in both policing and incarceration. [More...]

Managed care will have a disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities

By: Emma Morris
November 18, 2020 // Updated: November 17, 2020
This is the third of three analysis pieces about the plan to introduce managed care organizations (MCOs) to oversee Oklahoma’s Medicaid program. Part one focused on managed care being a bad investment for Oklahoma, and part two focused on managed… Read more [More...]

Statement: We can’t undo the past. But together, we can build a better future.

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
June 5, 2020 // Updated: June 4, 2020
Statement from the Oklahoma Policy Institute:  Racism takes many forms. Most of us are familiar with — and openly decry — the overt and direct racism that stems from ignorance, fear, and hatred. The more insidious racism is concealed and… Read more [More...]

Tulsa Race Massacre Remembered – 99th Anniversary

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
June 1, 2020 // Updated: June 1, 2020
Tulsa Race Massacre Remembered The 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre was commemorated, which brought national attention in light of nationwide protests about racism in America. Below are articles from Tulsa and publications from around the nation.   Tulsa-area Coverage… Read more [More...]

All Oklahoma children deserve a fair and equal juvenile justice system

By: Ashley Harvey
October 2, 2019 // Updated: October 12, 2019
The justice system will continue to be unfair to people of color unless lawmakers take deliberate steps to fix it. Closing the gap in these disparities for youth is necessary for long-term justice reform in our state. [More...]

Black and Latino children in Oklahoma are still more likely to live in concentrated poverty

By: Rebecca Fine
September 24, 2019 // Updated: October 4, 2019
A new KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot shows that many children in Oklahoma live in high-poverty communities that often lack these vital necessities. In Oklahoma, Black and Latino children are more than four times as likely to live in areas of concentrated poverty (census tracts where 30 percent or more of the population lives in poverty). [More...]

Oklahoma’s juvenile crime and incarceration rates plummet, but we must address deep racial disparities

By: Ryan Gentzler
September 11, 2019 // Updated: October 12, 2019
Despite these promising developments, black and brown youth are still disproportionately represented in Oklahoma’s juvenile justice system. [More...]

The Administration’s new immigration rules are already hurting families – and it’s going to get worse

By: Courtney Cullison
August 27, 2019 // Updated: August 27, 2019
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule that will make it harder for low-income immigrants to legally come to the United States, and more difficult to stay here once they’ve come. [More...]

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

By: Gene Perry
June 17, 2019 // Updated: June 17, 2019
How Oklahoma Ranks 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...]