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TULSA, Okla. — Organizers in Oklahoma’s second-largest city will hold a march against white supremacy on Friday evening, starting at The Center of The Universe on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
In an effort to push back against racist policies and practices across the state, organizers with Scissortail Community Defense, a grassroots organization working to unite marginalized and working-class people to fight against fascism, will lead marchers through the Arts District before listening to speakers at Reconciliation Park, according to a Facebook event page.
Organizer John Yuan has been working to gather speakers and security for the event.
“While there’s a lot of people active and a lot of people doing work, there’s not a lot of people sharing overlapping circles on targeted issues,” Yuan said.
Whether it’s police brutality or ICE detainment of undocumented residents, Yuan wants people to unite against the same oppressive system of white supremacy at the core of these seemingly different issues.
“We need to come together in solidarity, not just for our own goals but for each others goals,” Yuan said.
The FBI has on several occasions informed Congress that white supremacy is a pervasive threat to national security. And when this journalist asked the Oklahoma City chapter of the FBI whether the state’s new permitless carry gun law would make it easier for white supremacists to commit domestic terrorist attacks, the representative refused to comment specifically on the state law, instead saying:
“We continue to work with our state partners to assess any and all threats to the people of Oklahoma,” FBI Oklahoma City branch spokesperson Andrea Anderson said.
Friday’s march comes after months of deadly white supremacist shootings across the country as white nationalists, emboldened by the President, attempt to assert power and fear over an increasingly diverse U.S. population.
“White supremacy is ingrained in our legal system, our justice system, our law enforcement system,” Yuan said. “The need here is to share that awareness because we all share a common oppressor.”
The event is set to run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Serve the People OK, a local organization, will also be in attendance collecting winter clothing and non-perishable foods for Tulsa’s unhoused residents.