There is no doubt in my mind that the year has been off to an eventful start for you. With that has come the start and completion of exciting projects, engagement in meaningful conversations, decisions about important next steps made, plans for the future dreamed about, and hopefully some time to simply reflect on your well-being. While we’re all managing so much, I wanted to take a moment to invite you to join me for some significant reflection time.
When we’re completely subsumed by our day-to-day life tasks, we can miss opportunities to slow down and assess what we need to feel well and whole.
Carve out at least fifteen minutes of intentional time for yourself to reflect on these questions:
What have I been doing to intentionally care for myself?
What can I intentionally do in the next 30 days to care for myself?
What emotions or feelings arise when I’m feeling good and well?
How can the people around me reasonably support my wellness?
How can I healthily celebrate winning moments in my life?
I love the power of inquiry and hope you are willing to focus on yourself. Once you’re able to engage in a practice of your own wellness, you can more adequately engage the communities around you. Being in and with community is also important for our wellbeing. So, do what you can, Stars, to honor your wellness journeys.
The work we do across inclusion, equity, belonging, access, diversity, decolonization, and justice can be heavy. Know that I will cheer you on as you find what works best for you as you manage your very full and beautiful lives and as you engage in the role of ally, advocate, and co-conspirator in the work.
From one healing heart to yours,
Talia Carroll, Ph D (she/her) Vice President for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
INTRODUCING:
Where are you from, Puja?
What's your favorite food?
Rice and fish curry.
What is your career goal after graduation?
I want to be a mental health counselor.
What brings you joy?
Reading novels, eating, and traveling to unknown places.
Where would you most like to travel?
OCU Resource Pantry of Hope
Open Every Friday 3pm-4pm
Hidden places that very few people have discovered and have explored.
What are you excited about regarding working at the Resource Pantry of Hope?
I am excited about meeting people, listening to them and helping them as much as possible!
Stop in to meet Puja on Fridays!
email any questions or concerns to resourcepantry@okcu.edu
For the past 40 years, the Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday Coalition has been organizing the celebration of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Day in Oklahoma City In that time, it has grown to one of the largest celebrations in the country with a prayer breakfast, job fair, and a parade This year, families and onlookers packed both sides of Walker Ave. downtown to witness the parade of floats, marching bands, and over 115 other entries that came from all across the city and state including - for its inaugural appearance - Oklahoma City University!
Organized and led by Director Danielle Pullen, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion partnered with both the Black Student Association and the Student Civic Engagement Committee to
participate in this annual community tradition as a marching group in the Colleges division Students, staff, and faculty were encouraged to walk in the activist footsteps of the Civil Rights icon, Clara Luper (founder of the Clara Luper Scholarship Program), and an enthusiastic group did just that! With support from Cheer, Pom, the Student Government Association, and even Starsky himself, OCU handed out hundreds of stickers and postcards informing folks about the servant hearts of Stars.
Recently, the ODEI was informed that OCU had officially placed second in the College March Group division! The trophy was awarded and VP Carroll, Director Pullen, the President of the Black Student Association, Gladys Green (shown on the left), and the President of the Student Government Association, BreAuna Shaw (second from the right) were on-hand to accept it. The trophy will be housed in Director Pullen's office in the University Center.
Going forward, OCU will continue to participate in the Parade Therefore, if you were unable to join this year, make plans to be there in 2024 when we try again for first place!
The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (or C.R.O.W.N. Act) is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and/or educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists, or bantu knots. It was first introduced in California in January 2019 and signed into California law later that summer. Since then, this legislation has galvanized support from both state and federal legislators in the movement to end hair discrimination in the United States.
Research conducted by Dove and the CROWN Coalition reveals that racial discrimination based on hair can start as early as five years old. In 2021, the CROWN Research Study for Girls found that 66% of Black children in majority-white schools have faced race-based hair discrimination. This discrimination can look like harmful school policies and dress codes that ostracize students with certain styles or completely ban styles outright By banning protective styles like braids, locs, and bantu knots of all different lengths, these policies are basically forcing Black children to manipulate their hair from its natural state or face punishment
Research conducted by Dove and The CROWN Coalition reveals that racial discrimination based on hair can start as early as five-years-old and last a lifetime Racial discrimination against hairstyles has real, measurable social and economic impacts on Black people and especially on Black women This type of discrimination disproportionally affects the frequency of upward mobility opportunities Black women are afforded in education and in the workplace. The statistics (shown opposite) are staggering and unacceptable.
80% 1.5X
53% 3.5X
In the US, the laws in many states do not currently afford protection to folks for racebased hair discrimination even if the hairstyle is inherent to a racial identity The CROWN Coalition has sponsored The Crown Act (SB 188) and it has been passed into law in 19 states It's not enough And the time to act is now!
Visit thecrownact.com to sign the petition to urge federal legislators to sign The Crown Act into national law After being passed by the House of Representatives just last year, the bill was blocked by a senator from Kentucky and so will need to be reintroduced into the 2023 legislative session You can also email your federal legislators directly from the website using a template the site provides - easy!
You or your organization can also join the CROWN Coalition itself! This is an alliance of advocacy and non-governmental organizations, including founding members like Dove, National Urban League, Color of Change, and Western Center on Law & Poverty, who are dedicated to the advancement of anti-hair discrimination legislation With the help of a diverse array of individuals and organizations in the social justice, business, legal, and education sectors, the CROWN Coalition has successfully elevated the public narrative around this important issue and inspired a growing movement to end hair bias and discrimination forever!
Share on social media using the official hashtag "#passthecrown" to spread the word about the long-lasting effects of hair discrimination and how we can all work together to end it
Implicit or unconscious bias are beliefs and attitudes about individuals or groups of people different from us that are usually prejudicial and shaped by our singular experiences of the world. Unconscious biases are sometimes social stereotypes about certain groups of people form outside of their own awareness and they are often contradictory to our professed values. EVERYONE has implicit biases. A few of them can be identified as the following:
The tendency to connect or resonate with those who share similar backgrounds, experiences and interests.
This is when one characteristic about a person is used to build an overall judgement about that person either to positive effect (Halo) or negative effect (Horn).
The tendency to only absorb information that confirms our preconceptions and, once we've made a decision, to only seek evidence that confirms our conclusion and ignore evidence that refutes it.
The tendency to automatically associate certain traits strictly based on the gender or gender expression of another person or group of people.
The tendency to judge someone based on where they've worked, lived, or studied gives a select group more value in society and therefore they deserve to have influence and authority over others.
The probability of one person adopting a belief or feeling increases based on the number of people who also hold that belief.
Sometimes our biases can stop us from fully engaging with other folks - especially when a sensitive topic arises. When that happens, what is the solution to break out of your unconscious bias boxes??
Tune into your emotions
Recognize how your experience has shaped your perspective
Stick to facts - don't assume
Turn frustration into curiosity
Ask open-ended questions
Listen to understand not debate
Disentangle impact from intent
Avoid blame - think contribution
Recognize how their experiences have shaped their perspectives
Consider what is important to them
Think about how your actions may have impacted them
Brainstorm possible solutions
Experiment and evaluate outcomes
Seek out diverse perspectives
"My grandmother and I made a wood fire every morning at 6. That's how we made breakfast, lunch, and dinner," says Chef Andrew Black (he/him/his) remembering his childhood in Jamaica. "We were eating everything organic. We had all fresh fruits and vegetables, and animals - everything. We were farm-to-table. We just didn't know it as kids." Chef Black made his way to Oklahoma City and began the journey of co-founding and becoming the Executive Chef for Culinary Edge Concepts in 2015. Currently, the company operates three restaurant concepts around the city each encompassing a different energy, aesthetic, and taste.
Grey Sweater by Andrew Black is a dining experience that offers its 42 seats a tiered tasting menu that highlights unique and unforgettable flavors It was this concept that catapulted Chef Black into the list of semi-finalists for the 2022 James Beard Awards (100 N E 4th St, OKC)
Black Walnut is a slightly more casual concept that boasts bold, simple, brave, new flavors such as fried quail with green tomato relish and hushpuppies and cardamom roasted baby beets with shallots, dried cranberries, and goat cheese (100 N E 4th St, OKC)
The Gilded Acorn located in the historic First National Center is an eat-in Parisian café complete with pastries and a large menu of breakfast and lunch items as well as an extensive coffee menu (146 Park Ave, OKC)
Chef Black continues to educate and innovate. His book Foraging Oklahoma highlights local producers while his coffee company Liquid Gold celebrates flavors from Jamaica and beyond. Chef Black is also partners with Freedom City, a non-profit mentoring program that seeks to remove barriers and provide support for students and their families throughout Oklahoma City, and does his part to use his voice to increase donations for kids and families that need assistance. "We've got to have integrity," he says. "We serve people so we've got to have empathy."
Mauree Rajah Salima Turner (They/Them/Theirs), originally from Ardmore, OK, is the current Representative for Oklahoma’s 88th House District in Oklahoma City and identifies as a Queer, Non-binary, Okie Muslim.
They are the first Muslim elected in Oklahoma, and the first non-binary person elected to a state-level position in United States history; Mauree deeply understands why equitable and accurate representation matters. This has led them to work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Oklahoma, the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations (CAIR) Oklahoma, Freedom Oklahoma, and a continuously growing number of grassroots organizations in the state.
Since working in and around Oklahoma's criminal legal system Mauree came to the realization: it's not about reform, but about reimagining and rebuilding our justice system, with our communities in mind.
They have championed legislation for accurate and equitable documentation for our community members who live beyond the binary, repealing nuisance laws that gives law enforcement more access to our already vulnerable communities, started community conversations about why it's important to focus on alternatives to incarceration and much more.
HB2341:
Informing juries of the range of sentences prior to opening statements (Criminal Justice Committee)
HB2342:
Eliminating the requirement of Public Notification for name changes. (General Government Committee)
HB2344:
Modifying voting procedures to allow for Oklahomans with disabilities to receive balloting materials electronically. (Elections & Ethics Committee)
"Our committees are fighting to survive Oklahoma's government. We all have something to lose if we don't join the fight for an equitable future. We Protect Us."
In a six-episode limited docu-series, The 1619 Project is an expansion of the original piece in The New York Times Magazine and the novel version created by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. The episodes center on specific topics (Democracy, Race, Music, Capitalism, Fear, and Justice) and how the dark (and sometimes secret) legacy of slavery in America has informed, shaped, and derailed the lives of so many Black Americans and how it is still shaping the lives of Americans of color in 2023. "It's not a documentary about Black people," says Hannah-Jones. "It's a documentary series about America...[and] offers a better understanding of the country we live in."
Comprised of 18 essays exploring the legacy or slavery in present-day America, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story brings together the thoughts of several writers on the wide range of Black experiences in America. Woven through with photographs as well as poems and pieces of short fiction inspired by historical events, the book offers new and sometimes unexpected links between past and present. The book asserts that the full origin story of the United States does not being with the arrival of The Mayflower in 1620, but with that of the vessel, The White Lion, and its cargo of captive African human beings that landed in Virginia the year prior.
William H. Johnson painted his Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s as a tribute to Black activists, scientists, teachers, and performers as well as international heads of state working to bring peace to the world. Some of his Fighters Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, Marian Anderson, and Mahatma Gandhi are familiar historical figures; others are less wellknown individuals whose determination and sacrifice have been eclipsed over time. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the collection of more than 1,000 works by Johnson and opens Saturday, February 18 and remains available until May 14. Tickets can be purchased online at okcmoa.com.
Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Under Mr. Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe, and the Company now ranks as one of the top ten African-American dance companies in the United States. Showing audiences the art of stepping through both a traditional and contemporary lens, the company will perform on Tuesday, February 28, at 7:30pm at Oklahoma City Community College Tickets are available at occc.edu/events/step-afrika.
Beginning February 1, OKC foodies are invited to participate in OKC Black Restaurant BINGO! Download a kit through okcblackeats.com and you'll be provided with a BINGO card to show at participating establishments across the metro ranging in flavors from donuts and pastries to organic juices to seafood to soul food There are multiple ways to win fabulous prizes (such as with a diagonal, horizontal, vertical or blackout BINGO) and multiple ways to be intentional with your spending during Black History & Heritage Month! Your financial support can directly impact these local, small Black-Owned businesses with the ultimate goal of generating $1Million in spending! Email events@okcblackeats.com with any questions and to get a game board!
Located at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum on NE 63rd Street, patrons are encouraged to stop by the Museum’s Heritage Table all month long to learn about Stagecoach Mary Fields – the first Black woman mail carrier in the United States carrying (and protecting!) mail in turn-of-the-century Montana. Folks are able to discover the importance of the stagecoach in Mary’s story and create your own to take with you throughout the galleries to find more women who helped build the West, in celebration of Women’s History Month Tickets are available daily online at nationalcowboymuseum org
As an educational institution, we continually aim to center education and learning as an important and critical component of the OCU experience – for students, staff and faculty. What are you doing to engage in your own education and learning related to DEI?
We acknowledge that policies can deeply influence the experiences of those in our community Policies centered in equity and that thoughtfully incorporate inclusive language are necessary as they signal our commitment to equity and inclusiveness not in word only, but action, through expectation of policies being followed We encourage our campus community members to take time to review policies and ensure that what’s written aligns with our mission and core values as a university.
Belonging and feeling like a true member of community is important! Our connections and experiences are vital to our success as OCU Stars What does it mean for you to experience belonging? How do you create or build community in your sphere of influence?
We desire for our OCU community and supporters to think of intentional ways they are considering education, policy change, and belonging & community in their everyday experiences throughout our in-person and virtual spaces.
What are your individual needs? We want to identify opportunities for us to connect intentionally and continue to build upon what makes OCU great What will you do to commit to our foci? Want to share your commitments? Email us at dei@okcu.edu so we can support you in your efforts.
Oklahoma City University would like to acknowledge that we gather on land indigenous to the Osage, Caddo, Kiowa, Comanche and Wichita tribal nations, and that lands extending throughout the state were originally inhabited by many tribes, including those that were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory under harmful federal policies.
We acknowledge that the 39 sovereign tribal nations inhabiting what is now Oklahoma originate from all four corners of the North American continent, and that indigenousness is hemispheric in scope. We honor the land and the people who have stewarded it since time immemorial, and we commit to continuing to learn how to be better stewards of the land we inhabit for future generations.
