“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door. These words, by Emma Lazarus, are at the base of one of the most iconic statues in this country.  Except […]

I grew up with a sense of belonging in both received and chosen communities. I existed in several –Christian and Episcopalian; OU fan; Republican; middle class; Okie; American; guy. All of those communities create images of shared characteristics and maybe even a sense of connectedness for me at times. Community membership has many immediate benefits: it helps us identify “our”

TO: Tulsa Police Department; Tulsa Mayor’s Office We, the undersigned, represent the diverse communities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a group of citizens concerned about the status of policing in our dear city. We are writing you to urge you to ensure a fair, just, and transparent investigation into the shooting death of Terence Crutcher, to

Terence Crutcher: Questions From Two Perspectives .The news I have in front of me is confusing. I hear two stories, very far apart, both insisting they are the “truth” or point to the truth.  Justified or unjustified.  Guilty or not guilty. They are mutually exclusive narratives, and it is impossible for them both to be the “true

As the son of two Holocaust survivors who experienced the worst of intolerance, bigotry, hatred and violence for over five years, my heart goes out to the families of those murdered. From all of us at the Respect Diversity Foundation, our condolences to the families of those who died and our thoughts and prayers to

About 10 days ago the Jewish community observed Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. I attended and watched a stirring presentation on the “Monuments Men,” who bravely scoured Nazi occupied areas to recover and return art and precious belongings stolen from Jews and others they considered to be “untermensch “(a person considered racially or socially inferior). After this

Growing up in this city, I saw great people doing amazing things. In 1995, I stood with my fellow Oklahomans and helped children and families in the wake of the Murrah Building bombing. I saw the nation and world recognize us as a model for loving community, calling our shared sense of ethic “The Oklahoma

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea – A random connection blossoms into love in this Drama.