Mana Tahaie, YWCA Tulsa Director of Racial Justice  (photo courtesy Hispano de Tulsa)

Stand Against Racism with YWCA Tulsa

"Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color." - Author Unknown

 
March 9, 2011

Tulsa, OK — YWCA Tulsa announces the 4th Annual Stand Against Racism presented by ONEOK, a program of the YWCA aimed at raising awareness that racism still exists in our communities and that it can no longer be ignored or tolerated. As part of this year’s Stand, the YWCA Tulsa will host the inaugural Race Against Racism on Saturday, April 30th.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups operating in the United States has grown by 60% since 2000. Last year saw hate groups top 1000 for the first time, 23 of which are in Oklahoma, with at least six in Northeast Oklahoma. SPLC’s Intelligence Report cites “immigration fears and a failing economy” as the factors that have fueled the increase. Hate groups have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people. They promote hate, hostility, and sometimes violence.

Stand Against Racism combats the spread of hate and intolerance by giving organizations and individuals the opportunity to commit to racial justice and to honor and celebrate the richness of diversity. The 2010 event attracted over 2,000 participating sites across the country that hosted local “stands”. Over a quarter million individuals took a stand against racism by attending one of the events. Participants ranged from school-age children to elected officials, executives of large corporations, faith leaders, and others. In Tulsa, an estimated 1,000 people at over 40 participating sites joined the movement. They pledged a lifetime of promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people in their community and in the world. This powerful unified effort helped raised awareness that racism hurts everyone.

“We are proud that ONEOK has committed to leading this movement as a presenting sponsor. Today, the YWCA Tulsa is calling on all local organizations, corporations, communities of faith, government agencies and individuals in Northeast Oklahoma to join ONEOK and the YWCA by becoming a participating site of the 2011 Stand Against Racism,” announced Felicia Collins Correia, YWCA Tulsa Chief Executive Officer. “Any group of any size that believes in a society free of racism is invited to join us.”

As part of the Stand Against Racism, YWCA Tulsa will host the inaugural Race Against Racism on Saturday, April 30th. The 5K race and 1 mile Justice Walk are slated to begin at ONEOK Field, loop through downtown Tulsa, and end at the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park. Individuals, teams and families are invited to participate by registering online.

Any organization or group of individuals can host their own public or private stand by becoming a Participating Site through the YWCA Tulsa website at www.ywcatulsa.org. Participation is free. The YWCA will provide supportive materials and documents including event planning templates and marketing materials, and is also available to provide programmatic and administrative support. Each organization’s “stand” can range from gatherings at work to larger scale stands like rallies and marches. No matter what shape the “stand” takes in each participating site, all activities will echo the theme “racism is unacceptable.” Organizations are urged to visit www.ywcatulsa.org to join this important movement by Friday, April 15.

The persistence and pervasiveness of racism divides our community and keeps individuals from achieving success in education, economics, employment, and quality of life. Strength comes from numbers.

This year the Stand Against Racism will be a collaboration of over 70 YWCA Associations throughout the United States. For more details, including sponsorship information for both the Stand and the Race, please visit www.ywcatulsa.org or contact Mana Tahaie at mtahaie@ywcatulsa.org or (918) 858-2348.

The YWCA Tulsa seeks to bring people together across communities for one common goal—the elimination of racism — and we ask you to please make your voice heard by joining the Stand Against Racism.

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Current Participating Sites

African-American Resource Center, TCCL
Kendall Whittier, Inc.
Leadership Tulsa
North Tulsa Historical Society
Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice
Oklahoma State University-Tulsa
Schusterman-Benson Library
The Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Tulsa County Juvenile Bureau/Girl Power
Webster High School

Background:

The YWCA’s Stand Against Racism, a collaboration of over 70 YWCA Associations nationwide, is an annual event managed by the YWCA Trenton and the YWCA Princeton in New Jersey. The YWCAs in America and around the world have a rich history of advocating for racial justice. Throughout our history, the YWCA has been in the forefront of most major movements in the United States as a pioneer in race relations. We intend to affect real change in the lives of our family, friends and co-workers through a process that identifies and eradicates the barriers that divide us and that perpetuate racism and other forms of oppression. As individuals learn what has kept us apart, they will develop new ways of working cooperatively by creating new models of shared resources and perspectives.

Mission:

YWCA Tulsa is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.