Wednesday s top stories:
• Fallout from Gov. Stitt s signing of House Bill 1775 continues. The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission strongly chastised the governor, who sits on the commission, for signing into law the bill that will prohibit schools from teaching concepts like systemic racism in a way that may cause guilt or discomfort. Tulsa Rep. Monroe Nichols resigned from the commission, citing Stitt s actions and presence on the commission.
• The Oklahoma State Department of Health is preparing for expected federal approval to begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12.
By Janelle Stecklein/ CNHI State Reporter May 12, 2021
2 hrs ago
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks during a news conference Feb. 11 in Oklahoma City. AP Photo / Sue Ogrocki
OKLAHOMA CITY â An Oklahoma lawmaker abruptly resigned from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission after the governor â a fellow commissioner â signed a bill banning the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.
The dispute occurred just weeks before the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which happened May 31-June 1, 1921, resulting in the deaths of perhaps 100 to 300 Black residents in Tulsaâs Greenwood District, historians say.
âWith the signing of House Bill 1775, our fellow commissioner, Gov. Kevin Stitt, has cast an ugly shadow on the phenomenal work done during the last five years,â wrote Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa, in his resignation letter. âGov. Stitt has chosen to align himself with folks who
OKLAHOMA CITY â Claiming its passage would avoid feelings of âshameâ among schoolchildren, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 1775 into law on May 7, which prohibits schools from teaching that one ethnicity or gender is superior to others, or that people by virtue of race or gender are inherently bigoted.
Supporters say the bill is intended to prevent distress among students when learning about history and race, while detractors say it will force teachers to mask much of the racial strife interwoven with the countryâs past.
âWe can, and should, teach this history without labeling a young child as an âoppressorâ or requiring he or she feel guilt or shame based on their race or sex,â Stitt said. âI refuse to tolerate otherwise.â
Press release content from Business Wire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
Survivors and Descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and Greenwood Community Leaders to Hold Press Conference Today
May 11, 2021 GMT
Members of Tulsa’s Greenwood community, including 107-year-old Massacre survivor
Mother Viola Fletcher, will host a press conference today at
1:30 PM CST to discuss prominent Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission members’ support of racist House Bill 1775 and the way forward as the Centennial of the Massacre approaches.
On Friday, May 7, 2021, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 1775 into law, which outlaws the teaching of the truth about racism and discrimination against non-white people. In addition to Governor Stitt, who serves as a Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commissioner, supporting House Bill 1775, the bill was also vocally supported by Tulsa Mayor and Commissioner G.T. Bynum. Bynum, who is also a strong opponent of rep