Saturday, April 27, 2013
9:00am: 1 Mile Justice Walk/Fun Run
9:30am: Chip-timed 5K
Race starts between ONEOK Field and the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park
Click here for more information

Artist in Residence Eyakem Gulilat
Curated by Tumelo Mosaka
February 22 – May 19

The Hardesty Arts Center [AHHA] will debut its inaugural Artist In Residence art exhibition on February 22, 2013. Site Unseen will feature artist Eyakem Gulilat’s photographs focused on the history of the Greenwood District. Curated by Tumelo Mosaka, the exhibition is a study of the landscape in northern Tulsa and it’s century-old artifacts related to the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921.

During a three month residency at AHHA the public is invited to share stories that will become a part of the exhibition. An Ethiopian native who currently resides in Norman, Gulilat’s interest in documenting and interpreting stories drew him to the history of Tulsa’s Greenwood district and the Tulsa Race Riot.

Site Unseen is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works. For more information about Site Unseen, the Hardesty Arts Center, or the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, please call 918.584.3333.

Artist Statement – Eyakem Guililat
Site Unseen is a study of the landscape in northern Tulsa and the century-old artifacts related to the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. During the next few months the exhibition will evolve to include shared stories from individuals in the community. Along the way it will pose the question, “where do we go from here?”

The landscape is a constant witness to the lives and events from the past. From the images of the empty stairways, I imagine the houses that may have existed, the people who may have lived there. If the land could speak about the past, what would it say? What kind of conversations does the space hold for us to sift through and find?

The domestic elements represent the fruit of the black community’s hard work, resilience and success. Through these glimpses we can briefly imagine life from the era into existence. These photographs help us remember and to imagine the stories of the Greenwood community.

As an Artist in Residence here at the Hardesty Arts Center, I am looking for stories for the ongoing exhibition. In this first set of exhibitions I simply constructed a stage where the life of the Tulsa community played out in the 1920′s. I would like you, the viewers, to participate with me by letting me hear your voice and your observations about the Tulsa Race Riot. Your stories will become a part of the project. Please contact me at artist@ahct.org.

Presenting Sponsors:
National Endowment for the Arts ­- Art Works.
Jean Ann + Tom Fausser

Community Partner:
The John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation

Sponsors:
Ken Busby
Scott Hamilton
Kathy McRuiz
Pat Schroeder
Joan Seay
Edith Wilson

Special Thanks:
Julie + Bill Watson
Greenwood Cultural Center
Tulsa Historical Society

Join us for the Public Opening of SITE UNSEEN
WHAT / WHO: A free, public opening of Site Unseen, including a moderated panel featuring the artist and curator.

WHEN / WHERE: Friday, February 22, 2013 at AHHA – 101 East Archer Street

Panel Discussion 4:00pm

Opening Reception 6:00pm – 9:00pm

John Hope Franklin Center of Reconciliation, Inc.  Attention: Human Resources Department

121 North Greenwood Avenue, Suite A  Tulsa, OK  74120

Or by email at info@jhfcenter.org

JOB SUMMARY

While honoring the past, the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation [JHFCR] is writing a new story – a narrative of cooperation and trust. The Center’s mission is to transform society’s divisions into social harmony through the serious study and work of reconciliation. Through education, scholarship, and community outreach, the Center has positioned itself at the forefront of a national dialogue on reconciliation – finding new ways for Americans to live together well.

The Center is seeking its first Director.  The successful candidate must possess a demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusivity; be an exceptional communicator; serve as an effective and approachable “face” of the organization; and work tirelessly to create, sustain, and strengthen community alliances. S/he will implement the strategic planning and the Center’s fundraising efforts.  Experience managing staff (paid and volunteer) is essential as is the ability to manage conflict constructively.  Reports directly to the JHFCR Executive Committee.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Programming — Directly responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating the Center’s programs.

• Work with volunteer committees to achieve targeted results and gather metrics that demonstrate success.

Financial – Create and maintain an annual budget, oversee the results of operations and monitor the JHF Center’s financial position.

Development — Develop and sustain a sound fund development program to ensure the availability of the necessary financial resources to sustain the JHFCR.

• Leverage community partnerships for potential funding opportunities, whether corporate sponsorships, individual donors or grants.
• In conjunction with the Board and Development Committee, design and execute all strategy and operations related to major campaigns, individual major gifts fund- raising and membership program activities.
• To build capacity, develop infrastructure, policies and procedures, set and track goals, and report on progress toward these goals.

Public Awareness  — Identify, cultivate and develop strong corporate and nonprofit alliances throughout the community, state and nation to increase the level of awareness regarding JHFCR’s identity and mission.

• Coordinate alliances between internal JHFCR functions and community efforts to increase our visibility and brand awareness.
• Become involved in and represent JHFCR at community events involving community partnerships.

Communication — Lead the Center’s communication efforts to build brand awareness.

• Coordinate volunteers and contract personnel to develop a strategic communication effort in multiple channels, with specific attention to the Web site, social media, print and electronic visibility.

Perform other duties as assigned or requested.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Must have proven, successful interpersonal relationship skills to maintain effective and satisfactory working relationships with staff, vendors, volunteers, visitors, and contractors.  Must have organizational agility and the ability to influence within the Center and with other community groups.  Must be able to communicate successfully at every level and have strong business acumen specific to our non-profit status and mission.  Must have excellent team-building skills.  Must have the ability to manage several projects simultaneously.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university with 5+ years of nonprofit management/community affairs/fund raising experience. Advanced MS Office skills, advanced database software skills, advanced experience with accounting and budgeting practices. Advanced organizational skills, efficiency skills and excellent attention to detail with a demonstrated commitment to completing assignments on a timely basis.

The John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. 

Associated Images: Preston Myer (left), 13, and Josh Gallegor, 14, students at Broken Arrow’s Sequoyah Middle School, show their competition medals for their award-winning history project on a website about the Tulsa Race Riots. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World

Copyright © 2013, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved

 Return to Story

Copyright © 2012, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved

 Return to Story

Recent racially motivated shootings in Tulsa—in which two white men killed three blacks and injured two others early in the morning on April 6—have called national attention to the city’s racial past. Specifically, the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 has been singled out as a source of continued segregation and occasional tension.

But while the shootings have made the city’s strained race relations timely news, they weren’t the cause of the tension—rather, the result of it—and many believe they won’t be the end of it, either.

An Associated Press story, published over the weekend in USA Today and other newspapers, revealed that many black Tulsans doubt the Good Friday shooting rampage will prompt any tangible change in the city’s race relations, despite significant national attention on the story and recent promises by Jesse Jackson and local leaders to work toward that end.

“Ain’t nothing going to change around here,” said (north Tulsa resident Jermaine) Wilson, 30, who has lived on the north side all his life and inherited his tiny home from his grandmother. “It’s like a little Vietnam here, everyone walking around with their AK-47s.”

Anthony Scott, the pastor of First Baptist Church North Tulsa—where the Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke and seemed to genuinely, if only for a moment, actually unite the community—told the AP that north Tulsa residents feel “they’ve finally received genuine sympathy and concern from the Tulsa community” and that “this expression of grief and concern from the entire city has certainly given them a feeling that there aren’t two Tulsas, but one.”

The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks to Tulsans at First Baptist Church North Tulsa on April 14 in the aftermath of the Good Friday shootings. Seated behind him is the church’s pastor, Anthony Scott. Photo by Holly Wall.
Still, one north Tulsa resident, pointing to areas of blight and decay in his own neighborhood, offered a commonly shared opinion on the differences between north Tulsa and the rest of the city: “People just live better over there, I think, than they do over here. If you have a good job and plenty of money, you want to get away from here.”

State Rep.-elect Kevin Matthews, a retired firefighter whose district encompasses north Tulsa, said the city needs to acknowledge the “blatant disparity” between north Tulsa and the rest of the city in terms of infrastructure, grocery stores and businesses with good-paying jobs.

“We have so many people leaving right now,” Matthews said. “They want to go where they can drive two blocks to a franchise chain to eat. People are wanting to go to where schools are opening instead of closing. Therefore, what’s left is those people that don’t have that opportunity and they don’t have a voice.”

A Reuters article also published over the weekend offered the naming of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as evidence of racial division in the city. The City of Tulsa approved changing the name of a portion of Cincinnati Avenue—the portion that runs through north Tulsa—last summer.
District 1 City Councilor Jack Henderson first proposed the name-change in 2002 but was met with resistance when “critics, including downtown businesses and churches, complained that the street name change would be confusing to longtime businesses in the downtown area,” prompting the council to shelf the idea. Henderson reintroduced it again last year, leaving off the 1.5 miles of Cincinnati Avenue that intersect downtown, and the renaming was approved. Signs have yet to be erected, but Henderson said he expects to see them in the next few months.

Though the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot remains racism’s most lasting stain, an editorial in the Tulsa World argues that racism has been a persistent issue since before statehood and continues to influence the city’s economy—most notably, the pervasive poverty in north Tulsa.

The first bill to be introduced in the Oklahoma Senate just after statehood was a racial segregation measure, which suggests that our first leaders must have deemed that objective to be a top priority for the newborn state.
So it’s not much of a stretch to conclude that the problems minorities continue to face here—poverty chief among them—are systemic, rooted in a history and a background still influencing events today.
Last week, the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation and the University of Oklahoma’s Center of Applied Research for Nonprofit Organizations released the findings of a race relations survey, aimed to gauge Tulsans’ attitudes on race relations and their knowledge of pertinent racial history in order to work toward some kind of reconciliation of past events.
Though the survey was a project in the making long before the shootings earlier this month, Karen Davis, chair of the research advisory team, noted: “The recent incidents of violence our community has just experienced brings our work into sharp focus and renews our call to work toward reconciliation.”

The survey compares opinions of the four largest racial/ethnic groups in the city: white, Hispanic/Latino, black/African-American and American Indian. Key findings include:
Relatively high percentages of all groups agreed that race relations are poor in Tulsa.

All groups agreed that continuing to discuss race is necessary for improving race relations.

All groups demonstrated high levels of agreement that racial/ethnic minorities continue to experience discrimination in Tulsa.

All racial/ethnic groups agreed that knowledge of the Race Riot is relevant to race relations today.
All racial/ethnic groups overwhelmingly agreed that the Race Riot should be taught in public schools and that it is important for Tulsans to know about it.
Respondents believed that if Tulsa achieved racial reconciliation it would result in improved diversity across neighborhoods, quality of education for everyone, opportunity and fairness in employment, and social relationships and interactions among Tulsans.
Respondents believed that racial reconciliation could be achieved through increased and improved communication, education, and involvement of government and community institutions …

The Center for Reconciliation has identified immediate and long-term goals that it hopes will improve race relations and make a path for reconciliation. They include hosting a symposium to educate citizens about the city’s past, documenting the pre- and post-riot Greenwood District, creating opportunities for students at all levels to learn about and research the Tulsa Race Riot, and bringing diverse communities together for the purpose of creating dialogue.
—Holly Wall, News Editor

TULSA – A survey of Tulsa residents on race relations released Thursday reported three key findings.

The survey, developed by the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation and the University of Oklahoma’s Center of Applied Research for Nonprofit Organization, listed their results in a press release:
1. “Race relations are poor in Tulsa.”
2. “Tulsa would benefit from increasing racial diversity in neighborhoods.”
3. “The 1921 Race Riot should be taught in public schools.”

“We think it is critical to fully understand how Tulsans feel about race,” said Karen Davis, chair of the research advisory team. “The recent incidents of violence in our community has just experienced brings our work into sharp focus and renews our call to work toward reconciliation.”

The survey focused on comparisons among the four largest racial/ethnic groups in the area — white, Hispanic, black and American Indian.

More than two-thirds of blacks and Hispanics surveyed described race relations in Tulsa as poor. Only a fifth of whites agreed.

When it comes to racism in Tulsa, eight out of ten blacks said they’ve experienced it, followed by seven out of ten Hispanics and nearly half of Native Americans. Again, only a fifth of whites said the same thing.

The survey also found wide gaps between white and other racial groups on Affirmative Action and the portrayal of minorities in the media.

According to most people surveyed, communication is key.

“You can’t heal unless you have communication. Communication with one another is part of the healing process,” said Julius Pegues, board chairman for the John Hope Franklin Center on Reconciliation.

Click here for the complete survey .

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

A new survey on race relations in Tulsa says conditions right now are “poor.” This comes nearly two weeks after the Good Friday shooting spree, which some say was racially motivated.

While the jury, so to speak, is still out on the motive for the Good Friday shootings, Tulsans in general say we do have a race problem.

A simple green space near downtown Tulsa oozes with hope of a better city, while looking back and learning from our history. The John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park was the scene for a discussion on race Thursday afternoon.

“While we have come a long way over the years as a city as a country, there’s still a long way to go,” says Julius Pegues, the Board Chair of the John Hope Franklin Center.

Our city has been in the news before for racial tension, especially in 1921 during the infamous Tulsa Race Riot. Now about 90 years later, our city is being pigeonholed again for racial division due to the Good Friday shootings where five people were shot and three of them died.

“I think the majority of Tulsans, true Tulsans, would definitely admit that we have a problem,” says City Councilor Jack Henderson.

To make things a little more concrete, now there are community survey results to prove the division.

“There’s still high numbers of people experiencing racial discrimination,” says Pegues.

Now its on the table for discussion and Henderson says that’s step one.

“We sit down at the table, lay it out talk about those issues as they come up and deal with them one at a time,” says Henderson. “We could come up with some solutions.”

So how to fix it? Reverend Jesse Jackson, who visited Tulsa last weekend, says start by looking back at our past.

“Seek forgiveness, for the race riots triggered by the majority of the community of 1921,” says Reverend Jesse Jackson. “It took people’s lives and their property and their legacy.”

Henderson says it’s going to take a kumbaya moment for the city.

We have to start, we meaning all citizens of Tulsa, to realize that we have got to fix this problem and we can’t do it by ourselves, we have got to do it together,” says Henderson.

The results of the survey kind of mimic what Reverend Jackson is saying. Many of those surveyed agree we need to talk and educate our youth about the Tulsa Race Riot and other civil rights issues and events that happened in Tulsa.

All content © Copyright 2000 – 2012 WorldNow and KTUL. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Dan Bewley, News On 6 – bio | email

TULSA, Oklahoma – A survey of Tulsa residents shows race relations in the community are poor and the city would benefit from increasing racial diversity in neighborhoods.
The John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation released results of its survey Thursday.

The baseline survey measures Tulsa area attitudes on current racial issues and knowledge of racial history.

“I believe that John Hope Franklin would have been very happy with what we are doing today in Tulsa,” said Julius Pegues with the John Hope Franklin Center:

In the park named for a man whose life was spent honoring African-Americans, community leaders gathered to share results of a survey that explored racial relations in Tulsa.

“We do have some problems here in Tulsa but we don’t have any that we can’t overcome,” Pegues said. “Our problem in the past has been a lack of education and a lack of dialogue.”

The survey heard from more than 2000 people, 61 percent of those were white, 23 percent African-American, the rest Native American or Hispanic.

The results showed that racial or ethnic minorities experience discrimination in Tulsa, that whites have advantages others races do not, minorities believe they are portrayed negatively in the media, but also that minorities can do more to help themselves.

Thursday’s announcement came on the heels of the tragedy over the Easter weekend that saw civil rights activist Jesse Jackson preach in Tulsa about ending the divide between white Tulsa and black Tulsa.

Organizers emphasize the survey was done long before the Good Friday shootings but the way the community reacted shows how the city can work together.

“I think it gives us an opportunity to do more intensive work,” Pegues said.

The survey also showed that more people would like to see the 1921 Race Riot taught in Tulsa’s Public Schools. Supporters say it’s important to look at the past to help understand the present.

“I think that one of the things that we’ve learned is that when we tend to pretend that something is not an issue it never goes away, it just festers,” said Kelli McLoud-Schingen with the Tulsa Urban League.

The survey was developed by the Center for Reconciliation and the University of Oklahoma’s Center of Applied Research for Nonprofit Organizations.

NewsOn6.com allows its users to express opinions on stories. All comments are community moderated; to mark inappropriate comments for potential removal click the “flag” link located to the right of the comment. Learn more in our Terms of Service.