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Beyond Apology Commission Conducts First Meeting with Newly Appointed Members

10/18/2024
This article was archived on 11/17/2024
The Beyond Apology Commission had its first meeting on Friday, Oct. 18, following the appointments of nine community members selected through an application process. In August of 2024, Mayor Bynum announced the creation of the Beyond Apology Commission via an executive order, which was a key recommendation of the 2023 Beyond Apology Report, the result of a community-led process by the same name.
 
The purpose of the Commission is to reconcile, restore, and unite Tulsa in a goal of shared prosperity for all Tulsans by advancing and restoring economic mobility, prosperity, and intergenerational wealth for the 1921 Race Massacre survivors, their descendants, and residents of North Tulsa, particularly those in the historic Greenwood District and surrounding neighborhoods.
 
The Commission has been initially charged with producing a recommendation and implementation plan for a housing equity program and will submit a recommendation to the Mayor and City Council by November 30.
 
"I am excited to begin the work of the Beyond Apology Commission and am confident our Commission will help lead the community down a path of humanity, healing and compassion as we continue to develop a plan for reparations in Tulsa,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “I am grateful for everyone who applied to be a part of this commission, and I encourage all Tulsans to participate in these historic efforts as they continue."
 
“I am grateful to finally see the City of Tulsa establish a government sanctioned commission that will work to establish and implement the terms of a reparations program," District 1 Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper said. "This work will be uncomfortable for Tulsans, but we have to be diligent, and we have to be unapologetic when it comes to this type of work."
 
Both the Mayor and the District 1 Councilor or their designees will serve on the Commission. The remaining 11 commissioners applied to be members of the commission and were chosen by a selection committee of City staff and community members, with confirmation by Mayor Bynum.
 
The Commission consists of descendants and North Tulsa community members who will enhance the development and engagement of this process.
The members, representing the specific criteria for the Commission are as follows:
A full schedule of upcoming meeting dates and times can be found online. For more information about the Commission, visit
Press Room
 

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