Ending Violence Everywhere W P.O. Box 30411 , ‘Midwest City, OK 73150 ‘Ne 405-537-4955 Ending Violence Everywhere James Gallogly, President University of Oklahoma Evans Hall, Room 110 660 Parrington Oval Norman, Oklahoma 73019 January 25, 2019 President Gallogly: The University of Oklahoma faces the backlash of another racist video hitting the media from White students. After the “Rally to End Racism,” it appears that the university is in turmoil. This costly crisis has direct impact on human beings, scholarship, and the university's economy. To be truthful, this has been a history that has damaged the entire state of Oklahoma and betrays the taxpayers. This history has been destructive to the ideals of basic human dignity and student ights in a heartland reputed for integrity, compassion, and freedom. Reactions to the executive administration and Board of Regents vary from “freedom of speech” to “zero-tolerance.” Yet, after the first crisis of a video victimizing, mocking, and bullying students of color, another traumatizing and terrorizing incident of a white man in assaultive “Black Face” surfaced near the OU campus. This act further intimidated and escalated the abhorrent norms of this time and space. It was a form of terrorism, still unresolved, on a campus glorified as an institution of knowledge and civilization. These overt assaults remind the descendants of oppression that anti- Black, anti-Indigenous, and KKK mindsets remain as active components on campus. This letter was written as a joint response, reflecting our collective insights. We want you to know the below signers have combined expertise on human behavior, ethnicity, institutional culture, and oppression, and we have watched this university struggle with this pattern for many years. We believe problems of human interaction (racism, sexual harassment, professional bullying, lack of professors of color) have not been resolved because OU has not properly conceptualized the problem. As a result, the victimization and emotional trauma to students and faculty continue to maximize and compound. The institutional problem cannot be addressed without considering the causal problem. What is the broader causal problem? The problem is that prejudice and privilege are active beliefs and behavior patterns in the communities from which the university community is built. Racial prejudice is a relatively common mindset for a significant percentage of people, yet the university has historically treated acts of racism and sexual harassment as anomalies. This assumption is the reason these problems will not significantly improve. The moment a new student entersEnding Violence Everywhere P.O. Box 30411 Midwest City, OK 73150 ‘es 405-537-4955 Ending Violence Everywhere campus, their biases and socialization contribute to the overall university culture. Until the university recognizes this fact, it will be unable to create an inclusive, tolerant, and safe campus culture. We repeat: The tolerance and inclusivity necessary for campus life is not the public norm (ask people of color and women). Without harsh judgment, OU must recognize that a significant percentage of students are unprepared to understand and empathize with people different from themselves. An even larger percentage of male students do not understand how to relate to women without objectifying them. These are young people with limited life experience, some whose families may have narrow perspectives about race prejudice, LGBTQ rights, gender respect, and male privilege. Maybe the university has ignored this because it forces an acknowledgement that incivility regarding race and gender is more pervasive than imagined. However, this reality will not go away with public relation statements condemning those “caught in the act.” Punishment alone does not change attitudes, it teaches ignorant students to be more careful next time. The University of Oklahoma needs a holistic strategy to develop a civil and healthy campus culture without fearing the perception that OU is trying to control free thought. This is a huge undertaking and it will require concrete and comprehensive solutions. When the SAE fraternity video was released, OU-Unheard responded with several recommendations. Were you aware of these recommendations? Were you informed if any of those ideas were implemented? Some who signed this letter assisted them, knowing these ideas could be expanded. The most frequent solution of punishing racist or harassment incidents, without the university taking responsibility to appropriately socialize students, continues to be the failing solution. The university community is not the public community. It is, and must be, a more controlled environment in order to establish an open, scientific, honest, rational, and safe education. To add even more complexity, the university must also address the misperceptions that academia is the bastion of political correctness and progressive politics, an institution hostile to religion or conservative worldviews. This requires thoughtful bridge building approaches. This coalition is broader than those listed below. We strongly believe our experience working to resolve social problems in the larger community provides us with unique insight. Our hope is that you will be bold enough to engage with those of us dedicated to social justice to identify solutions for long-lasting holistic change. It is time to end a cycle of complacency, hostility, and reactivity had the privilege of meeting you after Tuesday's student rally and | felt your sense of wanting to provide answers to a difficult and complex problem. | also have been directly listening to the suffering; grievances; and ideas of OU students as the crisis continues to unfold. As a human rights and public advocate, | also struggle to meet the needs and expectations of the next generation of Oklahomans. | also pray that we can collectively meet the needs, demands, and endeavors of the people we serve for the human cause,Ending Violence Everywhere 9.0. Box 30811 Miawest Cty, OK 73150 ‘Nes 1205-537 4955 {nding Violence Everywhere We are unsure of your fears regarding this national and local crisis. Our fears are that culturally ignorant young minds (such as the MAGA students who disrespected an Indigenous elder) will become our future lawyers, health care providers, teachers, mental health professionals, judges, law enforcement, and others with power and authority. They will be the enforcers with whom disadvantaged people of color and women will have to face in their most critical and vulnerable circumstances. We are volunteering to work with those immediately in charge of managing and responding to this crisis. We can collaboratively develop a strategy to address the university culture built on the values of diversity, coalitions, transparency, and trust. The integrity of OU cannot continue to rely on chants and sports. These values must be earned and maintained, and the work is never-ending. Regards, Jana. Roma Sara Bana, Ending Violence Everywhere/Civic Services Community Advocacy Co-signatures: Senator Connie Johnson (retired) Garland Pruitt, NAACP-OKC Chapter Camille Landry, Oklahoma Black Lives Matter Dwain Pellebon, Ph.0., LCSW, Ending Violence Everywhere Rena Guay, Just Future ‘Gwendolyn Black, The Advocacy Council ‘Ali Canada, Oklahoma State Democratic Party Affirmative Action Committee Twan Jones, Oklahoma State African American Democratic Federation Milton Combs, PEOPLE Foundation