Republican mayor of Oklahoma City argues that DEI is good
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/opinion/oklahoma-city-mayor-diversity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gE8.t_bF.AlTRr0CsBkuP&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare I’m a lifelong Republican who believes in meritocracy, but meritocracy cannot be exclusionary. Every person depicted on that conference room wall was a qualified and well-intentioned public servant, but there were women, people of color and leaders from other parts of the city who could have also been competent mayors. Heavy layers of history, exclusion, bigotry and glass ceilings stood in their way.
One of my primary goals as mayor has been to provide opportunities so that anyone of merit could be mayor or anything else. It is absolutely possible to create such pathways in a meritocracy, and it ensures that meritocracies are authentic. This is hard work, but to do nothing, to pretend those conference room walls reflected our aspirations, is simply unacceptable.
About 60 percent of the children in Oklahoma City are nonwhite, and half of the city is female. To provide them with clear ways to achieve their highest potential is a legitimate way to open the doors of opportunity.
I have used my office to involve the city’s communities as never before. I call it One OKC. I proclaimed Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Pride Month in Oklahoma City for the first time. I regularly attend our annual civil rights commemorations, march in our Latino parades, became the first mayor to visit a mosque and regularly attend events in our Asian community. Though that outreach is largely symbolic, many people have told me how much it meant to them, because they felt a part of our city as never before. We are building pathways for them to the rooms where decisions are made.
We have also taken more substantive actions. We have recreated our Human Rights Commission, which was dissolved in the 1990s because it took a stand in favor of protections for the L.G.B.T.Q. community. When I took office, the volunteer appointees on nearly 60 oversight and advisory boards were roughly 90 percent white and 79 percent male. Mayors often appoint people they know, and after we broadened the outreach of the office, the perspectives of those appointed have also broadened. The positions now held by people of color have tripled, and the seats held by women have doubled. I have appointed women to chair nine of the 10 boards we have created since 2018.
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“We are old and tired and just want to be taken care of.” - Republican voter, Dec. 2024.
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Message Thread | This response ↓
 Week of August 18th politics thread. - theBard August 18, 2025, 7:13:07
- Ghislaine Maxwell transcripts released. - gvibes Today, 15:47:27
- "first tranche" of Epstein Files released to House Oversight Committee - complainant Today, 15:45:12
- Chicago is next on trumps list for crime. That’ll go over well * - MC Today, 13:52:11
- This World Cup press conference is quite something else - Sounder Today, 12:21:55
- “Never received so many phone calls for what I am doing in DC” - Mrap24 Today, 7:35:17
- FBI searching John Bolton’s house - Mrap24 Today, 7:11:01
- shared article: Trump kills Springfield Ohio - complainant Today, 4:36:12
- California approves redistricting plan (according to CNN headline) - TarheelIllini Yesterday, 21:12:02
- Republican mayor of Oklahoma City argues that DEI is good - ATL Yesterday, 20:38:00
- Adams’ fmr aide tried to bribe a reporter by passing $$ in a bag of potato chips. Chip co. CMO: - ATL Yesterday, 18:57:16
- Supreme Court strikes again - larue33 Yesterday, 17:58:25
- The cruelty is the point - UofIL6 Yesterday, 16:05:00
- Someone talk me out of selling 50-80% of my non-401K securities. - Warrin'_Illini Yesterday, 15:16:06
- GCN: Better than Google Maps. lol - UofIL6 Yesterday, 15:10:09
- This Cracker Barrel logo "controversy" is incredibly dumb - Sounder Yesterday, 14:47:04
- Who had "Steak n Shake heel turn" on their 2025 Bingo card? - KingTalkyTiki Yesterday, 20:23:23
- Byron Donalds says he “gave himself to Christ” in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. - SurfTheBoneyard Yesterday, 18:58:36
- WHITE CULTURE IS BEING ERASED! - KingTalkyTiki Yesterday, 15:05:49
- The redesign of the actual restaurants does seem like a bad idea to me, but… - OB25 Yesterday, 15:00:23
- biclops* - ATL Yesterday, 14:59:25
- ooo - Sammich Yesterday, 15:00:56
- I did like the thought that they removed both the barrel and the cracker.* - SurfTheBoneyard Yesterday, 14:52:36
- The right will never win people over with these meaningless culture-war controversies* - Sammich Yesterday, 14:52:01
- How is this topic political?* - timmer Yesterday, 14:51:22
- I've only seen good natured comedic videos about it - ISeeDeadHawkeyes Yesterday, 14:51:18
- James Dobson rest in piss - assassin Yesterday, 14:11:27
- Donny hitting the streets tonight with DC cops to patrol* - Mrap24 Yesterday, 13:26:56
- Seems TX passed their gerrymander. Blue states better get ready to follow - UofIL6 August 20, 2025, 23:58:26
- so, what's the non-evil reasoning for demanding the medical records - assassin August 20, 2025, 21:35:15
- Fraud in plain sight - Mrap24 August 20, 2025, 14:52:50
- Ron Swanson is running for Senate against Susan Collins - Sounder August 20, 2025, 14:50:48
- From *checks notes* Alex Jones's mouth to God's ears... - ATL August 20, 2025, 14:22:49
- we're wasting a million bucks a day on this DC bullshit - assassin August 20, 2025, 13:56:33
- Towelie goes to Washington, DC on South Park tonight* - Sounder August 20, 2025, 13:41:34
- Donald J. Trump, war hero - larue33 August 20, 2025, 12:20:14
- I just heard a Sherrod Brown ad targeted to small businesses on the issue of burdensome taxes. - complainant August 19, 2025, 21:54:36
- Trump is going to take all the WOKE out of the museums - VIV August 19, 2025, 20:59:14
- Love to see Trump implementing Bernie Sanders’ CHIPS act idea - taking equity* - gvibes August 19, 2025, 18:00:17
- Trump concerned about getting into heaven - Sounder August 19, 2025, 11:38:25
- Kristi Noem claims she had to move into secure housing because she didn’t feel safe in her home. - doubledown August 19, 2025, 11:16:39
- probably because it’s in DC surrounded by the Duck Dynasty boys* - memyselfandillini August 19, 2025, 20:20:34
- or that's a lie because she got caught* - reggiedunlop August 19, 2025, 13:58:56
- OhNoButAnyways.gif* - KingTalkyTiki August 19, 2025, 12:02:44
- You're celebrating the fact that a US cabinet member has been threatened so much - jjlocke923 August 19, 2025, 11:21:03
- Good, I hope she spends the rest of her life constantly looking over her shoulder - Sounder August 19, 2025, 11:20:24
- "An Alpha Male is an Alpha Male" - Sounder August 19, 2025, 11:00:25
- What would have happened if Clyburn didn’t save Biden in 2020 and Bernie got the nomination? - JeffFrank August 19, 2025, 10:53:00
- no.* - Ari Gold August 19, 2025, 15:06:03
- Francis Scott Key Bridge can't catch a break - complainant August 18, 2025, 19:17:23
- Trump phones a friend. - complainant August 18, 2025, 19:04:01
- newsom update - assassin August 18, 2025, 16:41:47
- LOL - KingTalkyTiki August 19, 2025, 12:45:40
- yep, it's totally not working at all - Sounder August 19, 2025, 12:23:14
- Thank God someone is doing this. Schumer and Jeffries are completely worthless.* - Warrin'_Illini August 19, 2025, 9:23:04
- Do you think she’s more mad that Newsom’s trolling is effective, or that - doubledown August 18, 2025, 18:53:56
- Yes, American voters require more seriousness from their presidential candidates. Right.* - PapaDels August 18, 2025, 17:52:27
- Can we agree that it is dumb and tiresome no matter who is doing it? - jjlocke923 August 18, 2025, 17:05:26
- the truck driver must be here legally, or they would have said "illegal" - Sammich August 18, 2025, 17:04:07
- They're all THIS close to getting it.... - KingTalkyTiki August 18, 2025, 16:55:45
- Lol* - DT August 18, 2025, 16:51:08
- It's amazing they don't get the irony* - UofIL6 August 18, 2025, 16:44:47
- The disconnect is mind blowing.* - SurfTheBoneyard August 18, 2025, 16:44:46
- I'm kind of looking forward to Trump's election executive order. - doubledown August 18, 2025, 14:58:14
- Trump tells a Sir story that definitely didn't happen - Sounder August 18, 2025, 14:06:50
- at least zelensky wore a suit this time.* - Ari Gold August 18, 2025, 13:45:17
- And clowned them all in the process. - SurfTheBoneyard August 18, 2025, 14:44:05
- god the fucking brainrot of morons caring about this is amazing* - assassin August 18, 2025, 14:23:33
- Who the fuck cares besides MTG's moron boyfriend* - MtHoodIllini August 18, 2025, 13:58:53
- Bc that’s what’s important* - Mrap24 August 18, 2025, 13:53:06
- He looks like a Bulgarian night club owner* - Sounder August 18, 2025, 13:46:10
- Trump tried to cheat? No way. - Sounder August 18, 2025, 11:24:24
- The best and brightest (tm) - ATL August 18, 2025, 11:12:21
- What exactly are the six wars he thinks he's ended? - Sounder August 18, 2025, 10:49:00
- Well, the only rational response is for Trump to send the National Guard to take over Utah - Stu August 18, 2025, 9:47:19
- "DC now officially safe!". Imagine believing/defending/voting for this guy. - ATL August 18, 2025, 9:39:01
- I hope this is fake - Mrap24 August 18, 2025, 8:19:49
- I hope he acts the same as the last time Z was there* - TarheelIllini August 18, 2025, 7:14:55
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on August 21, 2025, 20:38:00, in reply to "
- VIV Today, 10:08:49