Race relations conference in OKC builds relationships

More than 100 Oklahoma City residents will take time this month to envision a city where the lens of race is filtered away, replaced by personal relationships that build understanding.

Acknowledging tensions spinning out of control in communities such as Ferguson, Mo., the Second Annual Justice Conference proposes dialogue as a path to “wholeness” in race relations.

The goal is opening a path for residents “to know one another among themselves,” said Clarence Hill Jr., founder of Oklahoma City Stronger Together, the organizer.

“In our city people would say, ‘I’m a part of the city, my voice matters and together we will make our city great,’” said Hill, a faith-based community consultant for the Oklahoma City-County Health Department.

The conference on Jan. 13 and 14 will be at the health department’s Northeast Health and Wellness Campus, 2600 NE 63.

Registration for the conference, “Crossing the Bridge,” includes dinner and a program on Friday night.

Saturday’s program includes breakout sessions on topics including “What is Structural Inequity?” and “African-American History in Oklahoma City.”

Lee Roland, former principal of Tulakes Elementary, will discuss the turnaround strategies that reduced suspension rates of minority students in his Putnam City schools building.

A box lunch will be followed by a questionand-answer session and discussion of next steps to continue the work of improving race relations throughout the city.

Hill said the “dominant narrative” of division within American society hinders cross-cultural relationships and “deadens people’s compassion toward one another.”

Conference participants, he said, will seek a “working definition of justice that drives us toward a better future. We want there to be understanding on all sides.”