Small: Court finds discrimination is wrong

Court finds discrimination is wrong

By Jonathan Small

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that discrimination is wrong. That may surprise Ibram Kendi disciples but not any Oklahoman with an ounce of common sense.

(Kendi is the author of “How to be an Antiracist” and notoriously declared that “racial discrimination is not inherently racist” and the “only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.”)

Marlean Ames, a white woman, began working for the Ohio Department of Youth Services in 2004. In 2019, she applied for a management position that ultimately went to a lesbian woman. The agency subsequently demoted Ames from her role as a program administrator and hired a gay man to take her place. Ames sued the agency, alleging she was denied the management promotion and demoted because of her sexual orientation.

Small: Drummond right about bar association

Drummond right about bar association

By Jonathan Small

Is it too much to ask that law schools obey the law? Apparently, the American Bar Association thinks it is.

Fortunately, the ABA is drawing strong pushback, including from Oklahoma’s chief legal law enforcement officer.

Through a June 3 letter drafted by the office of Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and 20 other states’ attorneys general say the standards imposed by the American Bar Association (ABA) for accreditation of law schools violate constitutional prohibitions on discrimination and should be junked.

Small: OU should end race-based discrimination

OU should end race-based discrimination

By Jonathan Small

In its 2023 opinion in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-based admissions processes for college violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The court bluntly stated, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”

OCPA president calls on Kayse Shrum to honor OSU’s ‘historic values’

OCPA president calls on Kayse Shrum to honor OSU’s ‘historic values’

OKLAHOMA CITY (December 18, 2023)—Recent events have demonstrated to Americans the extent of the rot in higher education, especially in elite institutions. But the problems are here at home, too—including at Oklahoma State University—and it’s time for policymakers to act, OCPA president Jonathan Small said today.

“I applaud Gov. Kevin Stitt for his executive order seeking to reduce the influence of poisonous ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) ideologies in Oklahoma colleges,” Small said. “Unfortunately, OSU president Kayse Shrum’s dismissive response to the executive order—‘an initial review indicates that no significant changes to our processes or practices are needed’—shows that she’s hopelessly out of step with the Oklahomans paying the freight.” 

"Defund Discrimination": Gov. Stitt takes hatchet to taxpayer-funded DEI programs

Good for Gov. Stitt:

GOVERNOR STITT SIGNS ANTI-DISCRIMINATION EXECUTIVE ORDER, TAKES AIM AT DEI MEASURES

OKLAHOMA CITY (December 13, 2023) - Today, Governor Kevin Stitt signed Executive Order 2023-31, implementing greater protections for Oklahomans and their tax dollars against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

“In Oklahoma, we’re going to encourage equal opportunity, rather than promising equal outcomes,” said Governor Stitt. “Encouraging our workforce, economy, and education systems to flourish means shifting focus away from exclusivity and discrimination, and toward opportunity and merit. We’re taking politics out of education and focusing on preparing students for the workforce.”

Small: Oklahoma colleges’ DEI mandates violate free speech

Oklahoma colleges’ DEI mandates violate free speech

By Jonathan Small

The Arizona Board of Regents recently announced that public universities in that state will no longer require “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) statements from job applicants.

Oklahoma colleges and universities should do the same.

Small: Response to MLK legislation is telling

Response to MLK legislation is telling

By Jonathan Small

Oklahoma law currently prohibits teaching children that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex.”

This year, lawmakers have advanced legislation to have public schools provide lessons on the “natural law and natural rights principles that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., drew from that informed his leadership of the civil rights movement.”

It’s not a coincidence that many who opposed the aforementioned anti-racism law now oppose the MLK bill with some going so far as to claim you can’t teach about King without violating the prohibition on teaching racial superiority.

One suspects King would be surprised to hear that.

Small on school choice: Not afraid to thrive

Rev. Wade Moore at recent school choice rally

Not afraid to thrive

By Jonathan Small

Most parents want their children to not only survive but thrive. Sadly, among some school-choice opponents, that is apparently viewed as a controversial statement.

Oklahomans from across the state recently rallied at the state Capitol, urging lawmakers to pass a robust school-choice tax credit that will allow them to use their tax dollars for the education setting that best serves each individual child, including private school and homeschooling.

But one lawmaker dismissed many of them—based, it appears, on skin color.

Columnist: OK Educators need to read, and follow, directions

Oklahoma Educators Need to Read, and Follow, Directions

By Mike Davis

Read all the directions. Teachers used to say this before every test. Following them was implied. Students who skipped directly to the first question often made mistakes. Sometimes extra credit was hidden in the directions. Unfortunately, Oklahoma educators seem to be having trouble with both reading and following directions.

For example, at a school board meeting on June 7, Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent McDaniel talked about the impacts of SB658 on the district’s continuing plan to mandate masks in schools. While Dr. McDaniel correctly pointed out that the bill requires the school board to put a mask mandate on the agenda of every board meeting until they are repealed, the law also requires that the county must be “under a current state of emergency declared by the Governor.” The governor recently affirmed his plan not to impose a new emergency order. Superintendent McDaniel fell into one of the classic blunders: he failed to read all the directions.

Educators seem to have asked an unreliable friend to describe the directions contained in HB1775. Based on the unreliable friend’s abysmal summary, they are loudly announcing their intent not to follow. Numerous statements on Twitter, some by self-identified teachers, show a profound misunderstanding of the law’s directives.

Here’s what the bill actually says: schools can’t force students to learn that they are inherently bad because they are a certain race. Schools can’t discourage students from treating people of every race equally. Every requirement of the law falls into one of those two categories. It specifically allows the teaching of historical facts, including any atrocity perpetrated by one race on another. It does forbid teachers from asserting that past atrocities by one race make current members of that race responsible for those atrocities, or predisposed to committing them again. Students of every race deserve the opportunity to forge their own path, free of racial baggage. While that may still be a dream, further burdening them at the schools they are required to attend is not the solution.

OK Congressional members introduce resolution to highlight the Tulsa Race Massacre centennial

Oklahoma Congressional Delegation introduces resolution to highlight the important history of the Centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre

Tulsa, OK – Members of the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation released the following statements in support of a resolution introduced to Congress today honoring the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) introduced in the House, and Senator James Lankford introduced in the Senate.

The resolution recognizes the history of Black Wall Street in Tulsa’s Greenwood district. It gives an accurate account of the violence that occurred on May 31 and June 1, 1921 and acknowledges it as the worst race massacre in the history of the United States. Furthermore, the resolution urges the Tulsa Race Massacre be taught in American schools and recognizes the important work of organizations like the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission and John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation.

Representative Hern (OK-01) said, “The Tulsa Race Massacre is an important piece of our history, and it’s important to own that. The destruction of Black Wall Street devastated economic opportunities for generations of Tulsa’s Black families. Our resolution honors the loss of those who were killed 100 years ago and acknowledges this painful memory in our city’s history as the horrific and race-motivated attack it was. 100 years later, we still have a long way to go. The centennial is an opportunity to remember, and this resolution helps us tell the world the accurate story of what happened on our streets in 1921 and how it shaped our city in the years after. As we move forward past this week’s centennial, we continue to strive for reconciliation. I’m proud of the recent investments in Greenwood to bring back Black Wall Street, and I hope to see it continue to grow and thrive at the heart of Tulsa.”

OCPA's Small: Family beats any government program

Family beats any government program

By Jonathan Small

For this year’s annual Citizenship Award Dinner, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs was honored to have sports journalist Jason Whitlock as our keynote speaker. Whitlock is known for his refreshing takes on sports and social issues and didn’t disappoint.

While he touched on several topics, Whitlock, who is black, noted that those who suggest police are routinely killing innocent black men are ignoring data that show he is more likely to be shot by someone in his local neighborhood than by the police. He also noted that pop cultural influences have played a huge role in influencing youth to pursue lifestyles that end badly. Such influences are often more impactful than the “systemic racism” proclaimed by academics.

Whitlock’s comments brought to mind the “success sequence” identified by researchers with the left-wing Brookings Institution, who found individuals who do three things typically become middle-class earners.

Gov. Stitt signs bill prohibiting “Critical Race Theory” curriculum

Governor Signs Bill Prohibiting “Critical Race Theory” Curriculum

OKLAHOMA CITY – The governor today signed a bill that will prohibit Oklahoma public schools, colleges and universities from teaching “Critical Race Theory” and from requiring mandatory gender or sexual diversity training or counseling.

House Bill 1775 is authored by Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore.

“I’m grateful to the governor for seeing the need for signing this crucial legislation,” West said. “Already, this harmful indoctrination has infiltrated Oklahoma schools from as early as pre-kindergarten classrooms all the way through college courses. Some of our state universities currently are requiring this mandatory training for their freshman students.”

West notes that much of the curriculum, often referred to as “Critical Race Theory” is based on Marxist ideology that is designed to teach children to hate American exceptionalism and distrust others based on skin color or sex. Additionally it teaches that most laws and systems in America are historically rooted in the racist oppression of people of color and other marginalized groups. It promotes the theory of implicit bias and inherent racism due to one’s skin color.

Small: Critical race theory’s harms widespread

Critical race theory’s harms widespread

By Jonathan Small

What do Pepé Le Pew and a high-school student in Las Vegas have in common? Both are targets of adherents of Marxist-derived “critical race theory” and its offshoots—and many Oklahomans could soon join them.

Pepé Le Pew drew attention when a New York Times columnist, soon joined by other critics, complained the cartoon skunk “normalizes” rape culture. That the female cat in the cartoons is always fearfully, frantically trying to escape Pepé’s embrace is proof, they say.

Yet anyone who has seen the cartoons knows that’s not what’s occurring. The cat is desperately trying to flee—first and foremost—because Pepé is a literal skunk. His foul odor can be physically viewed wafting through the air as a dark cloud. All who cross his path run fleeing, man and beast alike.

The joke is that a guy who thinks he is irresistible to women actively repels them. That’s not condoning rape. It’s making fun of boorish men. While the laws of that time may not have dealt with sexual harassment as forcefully as today’s statutes, Pepé Le Pew cartoons show such men were not viewed as role models in the past but were instead objects of ridicule.

How does this tie to a student in Las Vegas? Keep reading.

Surprise: Oklahoma Democratic Party denounces Trump's Tulsa Rally

Oklahoma Democratic Party Denounces Trump Tulsa Rally

OKLAHOMA CITY (June 11th) – Alicia Andrews, Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, today denounced President Trump’s campaign rally scheduled for June 19th in Tulsa.

“For him to host a campaign rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa is unconscionable. A day set aside to commemorate the freedom of enslaved people must not be marred by the words or actions of a racist president,” said Andrews, the first Black woman to serve as Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party.

OCPA column: Failing to understand act of forgiveness

Failing to understand act of forgiveness

By Jonathan Small

Ask yourself, which is worse? Losing a brother to mindless violence, or losing your brother to mindless violence and then clinging to bitterness and resentment for the rest of your life?

Neither outcome is desirable, but one is still worse than the other. And only in the latter case is part of the outcome under your own control. It seems some activists don’t understand that fact.

In Dallas, Texas, former police officer Amber Guyger, who is white, entered the wrong apartment by mistake, believing she was entering her own apartment. When she saw the tenant, Botham Jean, a black man, she reacted by shooting and killing him.

The resulting outrage is understandable, as is the desire for justice. Guyger was recently convicted and sentenced to prison.

But during victim impact statements, Jean’s younger brother Brandt surprised many by offering Guyger forgiveness. A professing Christian like his late brother, Brandt Jean said, “If you are truly sorry, I know I can speak for myself: I forgive you.” He also urged Guyger to become a Christian, saying, “I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want for you.”

For many who viewed that exchange, it was an incredibly moving moment. But some activists deride the moment as “cheap absolution” that gives whites a free pass for acts of racism.

In reality, forgiveness is crucial to defeating racism. And it was also the only path forward that would not allow bitterness to consume Brandt Jean.

As Martin Luther King Jr. noted, “Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship. Forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning.”

To his credit, Brandt Jean chose a fresh start. And all people who care about racism must be willing to do the same.

Clinging to bitterness does not punish those who’ve done you wrong. Instead, it becomes a form of self-punishment that can devastate your health and mental well-being for decades. Consider the contrast between Antifa activists, who hide behind masks and “protest” via acts of physical violence and property destruction, and Brandt Jean, who spoke the truth, forgave and hugged his brother’s killer. The former group’s rage achieves nothing positive; the latter’s gentle action moved millions of hearts and minds.

As a black man I am under no illusion about the realities of racism. But, having been on both sides of the equation, I also understand the value of forgiveness. It benefits not only the offender, but the offended.

Put simply, a world without racism is incompatible with a world in which people are enticed to withhold forgiveness.

Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.

Harry Reid: Don't Know How Hispanics Can Be Republican

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-NV): "I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican, okay. Do I need to say more?"




Florida GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio's response: