Racial disparities in the war on marijuana: intent versus impact

This post was written by OK Policy intern Carly Putnam. Carly is an undergraduate at the University of Tulsa majoring in Sociology and Women’s & Gender Studies. She can be found on Twitter at @CarlyPutnam. A recent ACLU report revealed… Read more [More...]

Read This: Kind of Kin

This post was written by OK Policy intern Carly Putnam. Carly is an undergraduate at the University of Tulsa majoring in Sociology and Women’s & Gender Studies. She can be found on Twitter at @CarlyPutnam. It’s rare to find a… Read more [More...]

A response to The Oklahoman: It’s about economic opportunity, not bigotry

This article was originally submitted as an op-ed, which The Oklahoman declined to publish.  A recent report by Oklahoma Policy Institute, “Building Equity: Closing the Opportunity Gap in Oklahoma,” outlines large and persistent gaps in wealth, income, and opportunity between… Read more [More...]

[Closing The Gap, Part 4] Regenerative assets: Why you need money to make money

This is the fourth post in a running series based on our recent report, Closing the Opportunity Gap: Building Equity in Oklahoma, which assesses the racial wealth gap and proposes solutions for closing that gap through asset-building.  Previous posts explored … Read more [More...]

Opportunity gap is a central, not ‘marginal’, concern for Oklahoma

Last week, State Representative Jason Nelson (R- Oklahoma City) expressed concern about a presentation given by Kate Richey, a policy analyst for Oklahoma Policy Institute, as part of a lecture series sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Human Series. The… Read more [More...]

Closing the Opportunity Gap: Building Equity in Oklahoma

This presentation was delivered by Kate Richey on April 25, 2013 as part of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services policy and practice lecture series.     Closing the Opportunity Gap: Building Equity in Oklahoma… Read more [More...]

[Closing The Gap, Part 2] Foundations of the wealth gap

Some core assets are best described as foundational:  health, education, and transportation are critical to our ability to achieve and maintain financial security throughout our lifetime.  Health, education, and transportation position us to obtain employment, generate enough income to make… Read more [More...]

Could 9,180 Dreams Come True?

Many of the immigrants known as DREAMers were brought to the US as children without correct documentation. Others crossed the border legally as children, but they now hold expired paperwork. They attended school here, and some even served in the US military. [More...]

Closing the Opportunity Gap: Building equity in Oklahoma

Click here for a copy of a presentation of this research to the OKDHS Practice and Policy Lecture Series on 4/25/2013 Oklahoma’s prosperity depends on the financial success and economic achievement of the people who call it home.  For a… Read more [More...]

Closing the Opportunity Gap: Building Equity in Oklahoma

Given Oklahoma’s rapidly changing demographics, persistent inequality is a structural impediment to development and a drag on economic growth. Closing the opportunity gap for people of color is central to a prosperous Oklahoma. Read more... [More...]