OU-Tulsa Marches with LGBTQ+ Community in Tulsa Pride Parade
As a vibrant part of northeastern Oklahoma, OU-Tulsa demonstrated community spirit and celebrated inclusion by participating in the Tulsa Pride Parade on June 26. The OU-Tulsa float depicted Catoosa’s famous Blue Whale – a waterfront structure and one of the most recognizable attractions on old Route 66 – decorated to coincide with this year’s parade theme, Pride on the Mother Road.
“OU-Tulsa is an actively contributing member of this city, and as such, participation in the Tulsa Pride Parade is an important way to show support for the LGBTQ+ community,” said OU-Tulsa President John H. Schumann. “Our diversity, equity and inclusion emphasis is a consistent theme throughout our community engagement all year long, but Pride Month is an opportunity to focus on the LGBTQ+ community and their needs.”
While the parade was the culmination of a month of recognition for and support of the LGBTQ+ community in Tulsa, the efforts for inclusion and equity for all do not stop there.
“The month of June is a time to honor and celebrate the strides and history of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Dr. Jasmine Willis-Wallace, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for OU-Tulsa. “It is important to recognize the steps we all need to take to continue to educate ourselves and advocate for this group of individuals.”
To learn more about being an effective advocate, check out the following resources at OU:
Six-Week Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Challenge (Faculty and Staff)
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs and Training
By Bonnie Rucker
Article Published: Wednesday, June 30, 2021