police shooting terence crutcher
Rev. Al Sharpton (left), Dr. Tiffany Crutcher (center) and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump (right) lead Tulsans in a march for justice for the police killing of Terence Crutcher Sr. in 2016. (Photo courtesy of: Terence Crutcher Foundation)
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The Terence Crutcher Foundation, whose mission is to create communities that are free from racially-motivated violence and harm, recently updated their winter programming. The Terence Crutcher Foundation, whose founder, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, was recently named one of The Root’s Top 100, is providing a host of community-wide events to support racial equality in Tulsa and beyond. 

First up is Tulsa’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, held on Monday, January 17, 2022. With a reminder that there is no celebration without legislation, the Terence Crutcher Foundation is using the parade to focus on promoting HR 1, the For the People Act, currently being considered by Congress. 

H.R. 1 focuses on fighting the restrictive legislation that creates barriers to voting, particularly for Black citizens across the country. When passed, H.R. 1 will expand voter registration and voting access for all people, and limit the ability of states to remove voters from manifest rolls. 

poor peoples campaign
Leaders with the Poor People’s Campaign march to D.C. to deliver letter demanding federal protections for voting rights. (photo provided)
Leaders with the Poor People’s Campaign march to D.C. to deliver letter demanding federal protections for voting rights. (photo provided)

Demanding accountability from Tulsa City Council

The Terence Crutcher Foundation has also been busy promoting local legislation as well. At the most recent Tulsa City Council meeting, five members of the Foundation attended to encourage the city to urge the following changes:

  • Create an Office of Independent Monitor to hold Tulsa Police Department accountable;
  • Increase City Council’s power to require data collection, review, and publishing by City agencies;
  • Prioritize participatory budgeting into our budgeting processes;
  • Increase City Council’s power to confirm department heads appointed by the Mayor;
  • And require a regular review of the city’s ordinances, once every five years.

The Foundation believes these policy changes will make Tulsa safer, healthier, and more equitable for all people. 

In addition, on Saturday afternoon the Terence Crutcher Foundation is engaging in a phone bank called “Made to Save,” encouraging people to get vaccinated or boosted for COVID-19. The phone bank will run from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., with 30 minutes of training beforehand. The Foundation hopes to reach 250 people in the two-hour time frame, in order to keep the current COVID-19 omicron surge at bay.

To learn more about the Terence Crutcher Foundation, go to terencecrutcherfoundation.org 

Erika Stone is a graduate student in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Oklahoma, and a graduate assistant at Schusterman Library. A Chess Memorial Scholar, she has a B.A. in Psychology...