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Mayor Issues Executive Order Creating Beyond Apology Commission

8/1/2024
This article was archived on 9/1/2024
On Thursday, Mayor G.T. Bynum, joined by District 1 City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper, announced the creation of the Beyond Apology Commission, a key recommendation of the 2023 Beyond Apology Report which resulted from a community-led process by the same name.
“One of the most challenging issues to navigate during my time as mayor has been that of reparations for the victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and their families,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “I know my fellow Tulsans want to do what we can for the families of victims - not as a punishment, but because the most fundamental part of our city’s DNA is that we help each other in hard times. Only through dialogue can we be reminded of the humanity in those who think differently and try to find common ground. So today, I am signing an executive order to establish the Beyond Apology Commission, tasked with developing a plan for reparations in Tulsa. My hope is that we will allow compassion, reason, and dialogue to help heal a hurt that has plagued our city for over a century.”
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.
“It has been 100 years since the atrocity that caused immense harm and destruction to Black Wall Street and the Greenwood community,” Councilor Hall-Harper said. “I hope this new Commission will work toward establishing and implementing a reparations program that goes beyond merely apologizing for the atrocity that continues to haunt this city. The creation of the Commission alone does not absolve the city of the wrongs that followed the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Nevertheless, I am grateful to finally begin working alongside the community to address and rectify some of those wrongs. The world has been watching Tulsa, and now is the time to take meaningful action to right these injustices.”
The Commission will have 13 members appointed by the Mayor. Two members will serve by direct appointment by the Mayor and the City Councilor representing the historic Greenwood District. The remaining 11 members will apply to be members of the Commission. A working group of City staff and community members will make recommendations to the Mayor for these 11 seats. Those seats are designated as follows:
Duties of the commission will be to:
  1. Review the City of Tulsa’s Equality Indicators Report, as updated annually, the Beyond Apology Report, and the 2001 Report by the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, as foundational documents informing the Commission’s work.
  2. Engage in planning processes to annually set priorities and objectives for accomplishing the purpose of the commission by January of each year. An annual report on Commission activities, accomplishments, and recommendations shall be submitted to the Mayor by January 30th of each year.
  3. Engage experts and stakeholder groups in the work of the commission to further the aims of educating, uniting, and reconciling our community, providing regular updates on the work of the commission.
  4. Engage in research, data collection, interviews and other information gathering activities to inform the work, including referencing existing documents related to historic Greenwood District and surrounding North Tulsa neighborhoods, such as sector plans, master plans, etc.
  5. Create rules and regulations governing the conduct of its meetings.
  6. Produce a recommendation and implementation plan for a housing equity program to advance the goal of creating intergenerational wealth among Race Massacre survivors, their descendants, and residents of North Tulsa by November 30, 2024.
How to Apply for one of the 11 Seats on the Commission:
Complete the application at Beyond Apology Commission Application located at www.cityoftulsa.org/beyondcommission. A resume or professional bio and two personal or professional references will be needed to complete the application.
The application process will be open until Friday, August 30. 
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