What is the Oklahoma renaissance?
In the wake of Aubrey McClendon’s death, he has been hailed as the leader of the Oklahoma renaissance. Various journalists, businesspeople and elected officials have credited Aubrey with single-handedly transforming Oklahoma into what it is today.
Oklahoma (and Oklahoma City in particular) has been lauded as a place where community thrives, where jobs are good, where people have carefree fun and where there is relatively little worry about the economic perils the rest of the country is experiencing.
I am not here to talk about Aubrey. I am here to talk about how Oklahoma City is not the bustling, thriving, enlightened place everyone seems to think it is. For the married white man working at a downtown PR firm and driving a Lexus, life is great. But there is far more to Oklahoma City than what we probably come across in our daily life.
When we talk about the Oklahoma renaissance, we forget all about the people it left behind. We forget about the teachers who haven’t gotten a pay raise since 2008. We forget that the people responsible for educating the next generation of Oklahomans are barely paid enough to keep them out of poverty. We forget how Oklahoma pays its teachers far below what our neighboring states pay them. And we forget that with a $1.3 billion budget shortfall, none of that is likely to change soon.
When we talk about the Oklahoma renaissance, we forget that just a few days ago, state legislators voted in favor of a bill that would ultimately remove 111,000 people from the state’s Medicaid program. We forget that these aren’t high-earning individuals, but rather single parents who make less than $9,500 every year. We forget that almost 70 percent of those 111,000 people are women.
When we talk about the Oklahoma renaissance, we forget that Oklahoma is ranked among the highest in the nation for women killed in domestic disputes. We forget that 593 Oklahomans, mostly women, were killed by their intimate partners between 1998 and 2013. We forget that more than half of the counties in Oklahoma lack a shelter for victims of domestic violence.
When we talk about the Oklahoma renaissance, we forget that a quarter of all children in Oklahoma are at risk of going to bed hungry tonight. We forget about the nearly 700,000 adults who are unsure about where their next meal will come from. We forget that one in 16 Oklahoma seniors are also at risk of going to bed hungry tonight.
I, too, am guilty of bragging about how Oklahoma City’s districts, restaurants, festivals and local businesses have made this city a welcoming and fun place to live. The Thunder has undeniably become one of the cornerstones of Oklahoma City social life. The cheap rent, inexpensive food and low gas prices are nice bragging points when talking to East and West coasters. We have great Mexican food, great barbecue and great Vietnamese food. There is plenty to love in Oklahoma, and plenty that needs to be fixed.
I readily acknowledge the influence of the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma. It would be foolish to say that Oklahoma City would be the same without Chesapeake, Devon and the other various energy companies. But again, I’m not here to talk about the good and bad of the oil and gas industry. I’m here to talk about how much more is left to accomplish and how little of that is being done.
I love Oklahoma. But it is more than the local beer we drink and local bands we see. Oklahoma has some serious problems. You may not feel them now, but your Twitter buddies, coworkers, friends and neighbors certainly do. It is only a matter of time before you do, too.
Remember that for you, life in Oklahoma City may be delightful. But for the single mom working three jobs just to afford daycare, for the overworked and underpaid corrections officer, for the teenager who just found out she’s pregnant, and for the third grader who hasn’t eaten dinner in two days, life in Oklahoma is much different.
Remember the people who the Oklahoma renaissance left behind next time you applaud all that has been done in this great state.
