OKLAHOMA CITY – A state lawmaker said this week he would conduct a series of legislative studies examining racism and discrimination issues in Oklahoma.
State Senator George Young, D-Oklahoma City, said his first study – set for Sept. 22 – will focus on racial discrimination and bias in Oklahoma state government. He said the study would also examine racism in communities, organizations, businesses and in environmental issues.
A second study will examine community racial impact statements, specifically as they relate to proposed legislation impacting the incarceration rate of certain demographics. During the 2020 legislative session Young filed a proposal that would require a racial impact statement for any legislation that would create a new offense, change an existing offense, change the penalty for an existing offense or change existing sentencing, parole or probation procedures. That bill, however, failed to receive a hearing.
“Now is the time for our state leaders to come together and take a long, hard look at racial inequality in our homes, workplaces, prisons and streets,” Young said.
Young’s study comes on the heels of ongoing protests and a national debate over racial inequality in the United States.
This week, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, announced it had settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who was killed by police six months ago. That settlement, the Taylor family’s attorney said, will include a cash payout and broad police reforms. “This is probably the largest settlement for police misconduct in the history of Louisville and includes substantial police reform, as well,” Attorney Sam Aguiar told The Washington Post.
Taylor’s death was followed by several months of protests. In June, Louisville’s chief of police was fired following a second shooting and the city moved to ban no-knock search warrants.
In addition, some of the leaders of one of the country’s largest protestant groups, the Southern Baptist Convention, said it was moving to drop the word, ‘Southern’ from the organization’s name.
The convention’s president, J.D. Greear said the name was being pushed “because of the racial reckoning underway in the United States and because many have long seen the “Southern Baptist” name as too regional for a global group of believers.”
Greear made the announcement in a statement posted on the convention’s website. He said the team for the group’s 2021 annual meeting would be “We are Great Commission Baptists” which connects to a current movement withing the organization to change the name. He said his court would adopt the name “Great Commission Baptists.”
“We believe now is a good time to use it due to the fact that the primary reason we are part of the convention is for the Great Commission,” he said.
In Oklahoma, data shows that about one-third of the state’s 3.9 million residents identify as part of the Baptist denomination, which includes the Baptist General Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention.
Oklahoma is home to about 1,800 Southern Baptist congregations.
Young, the senator, said he hoped his studies would help the state eliminate systemic racism in the state.
“Racial bias and discrimination has gone on long enough, and I’m hopeful these studies will help us discover the tools we need to eliminate systemic racism from our daily lives,” he said.
Both studies will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in room 230 of the State Capitol. Capacity will be limited to follow social distancing guidelines. All studies will be streamed online from www.oksenate.gov.