The commission formed to observe the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre has announced that it has booted Oklahoma Governor K...
The commission formed to observe the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre has announced that it has booted Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt from his seat on the panel a week after he signed a bill outlawing the teaching of some race and racism concepts in public schools.
A statement from the commission did not indicate the reason for the parting, and a spokeswoman said the commission had no further comment.
However, commission project manager Phil Armstrong sharply criticized the Republican governor for signing a bill into law that prohibits the teaching of so-called critical race theory in Oklahoma schools.
Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has been removed from a panel formed to observe the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre after banning critical race theory from schools
A tweet from Gov Kevin Stitt supporting the Op Ed in the Tulsa World of Oklahoma Sec of Education Ryan Walter supporting the passage of the bill that bans critical race theory
'The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commissioners met Tuesday and agreed through consensus to part ways with Governor Stitt,' the commission's statement said.
It went on to say that while the commission 'is disheartened to part ways with Governor Stitt, we are thankful for the things accomplished together.' It also said, 'No elected officials, nor representatives of elected officials, were involved in this decision.'
The Republican governor was informed of his ouster only when the commission issued its statement, said Stitt spokeswoman Carly Atchison.
In June 1921, a white mob killed an estimated 300 people and wounded 800 while burning 30 blocks of black-owned businesses and homes and neighborhood churches in Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood
An African-American man with a camera looking at the skeletons of iron beds which rise above the ashes of a burned-out block after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 1921
Stitt´s role 'has been purely ceremonial and he had not been invited to attend a meeting until this week,' her statement said.
The commission was formed to organize events for the anniversary of the massacre that occurred May 31 and June 1 in 1921.
A white mob killed an estimated 300 people and wounded 800 while burning 30 blocks of black-owned businesses and homes and neighborhood churches in Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood, also known as 'Black Wall Street.'
Planes were even used to drop explosives on the area, burning it to the ground.
In a letter to the governor Tuesday, Armstrong said the commission was 'gravely disappointed' that neither Stitt nor a representative chose to attend a meeting Monday night to discuss the signing of the GOP-backed legislation on 'critical race theory,' which examines systemic racism and how race influences U.S. politics, legal systems and society.
Among the concepts that are prohibited are that individuals, by virtue of race or gender, are inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Earlier this month, Stitt said that the US, now more than ever, needs 'policies that bring us together, not rip us apart'.
'As governor, I firmly believe that not one cent of taxpayer money should be used to define and divide young Oklahomans about their race or sex. That is what this bill upholds for public education.
'We must keep teaching history and all of its complexities and encourage honest and tough conversations about our past. Nothing in this bill prevents or discourages those conversations.
'We can and should teach this history without labeling a young child as an oppressor or requiring that he or she feel guilt or shame based on their race or sex. I refuse to tolerate otherwise.'
Among the concepts that will be prohibited are that individuals, by virtue of race or gender, are inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.
The bill, which takes effect on July 1, also prevents colleges and universities from requiring students to undergo training on gender or sexual diversity.
Armstrong had said Stitt's signing of the bill on May 7 was 'diametrically opposite to the mission of the Centennial Commission and reflects your desire to end your affiliation.'
Atchison decried the commission's move in her statement Friday.
'It is disappointing to see an organization of such importance spend so much effort to sow division based on falsehoods and political rhetoric two weeks before the centennial and a month before the commission is scheduled to sunset,' her statement said.
Another member of the commission, state Rep. Monroe Nichols of Tulsa, resigned from the panel Tuesday over Stitt´s signing of the bill, saying it 'cast an ugly shadow on the phenomenal work done over the last five years.'
The commission has developed and promoted programs, events and activities to remember the 1921 massacre and memorialize its victims.
Among the events are 'Greenwood: An American Dream Destroyed,' a presentation that wraps a monthlong run this weekend, and 'Greenwood Rising: The Black Wall Street History Center,' which is scheduled to be unveiled June 2.
Three Republican-led states have now signed laws banning critical race theory in public schools and nearly a dozen others are currently trying to pass similar bills that block or limit it from becoming part of curriculums
There is currently a national debate over critical race theory.
Critics say the theory reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color.
Defenders, however, argue that the theory examines the ways in which race and racism influence American politics, culture and the law, and say it is vital to eliminating racism.
The Oklahoma bill is similar to measures signed into law in Utah and Arkansas. Another similar measure stalled out recently in Louisiana but its author has said he intends to try and revive it.
Tennessee and Arizona have also introduced similar bills.
South Dakota's Gov Kristi Noem recently signed a bill that opposes the teaching of critical race theory. And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also recently said parents should oppose the theory.
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