Tulsa, OK

By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer

The Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice is celebrating its 50th
anniversary this year by recognizing that its mission of denouncing
bigotry and encouraging respect of all people is as needed now as it
was when the organization was founded.
“All you have to do is open the newspaper or turn on the television
and you see examples every day,” said Nancy Day, executive director.
Jim Langdon, who started a two-year term as board president of OCCJ
in January, said the organization is unique in its purpose.

“OCCJ is the only organization in Oklahoma with the singular mission
of fighting bias, bigotry and racism in our society,” he said.
The organization is honoring its anniversary with a film festival
beginning Thursday. It will feature three Oscar-winning films with
the theme of justice. OCCJ also will host a community march Oct. 5
OCCJ began as a regional affiliate of The National Conference of
Christians and Jews. That organization renamed itself The National
Conference for Community and Justice, but the Oklahoma organization
established itself as a separate nonprofit group in 2005. It is now
affiliated with the National Federation for Just Communities.
Day, who has been with the organization 28 years, said the changes
haven’t affected the group’s goals.
“Even though our name has changed, the work we do today and the
mission of our organization very much resembles the mission of the
(national) founders in 1927, as well as our start in Tulsa in 1958,”
she said. Day plans for OCCJ to increase its advocacy role, which it began in
earnest recently.
In the past legislative session, OCCJ opposed a bill that would have
made English the state’s official language and the Religious
Viewpoints Anti-Discrimination Act, which would have allowed students
to “express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and
other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on
the religious content of their submissions.

”
The latter measure would have created more problems than it solved,
Day said. “It was so much more complex than it appeared and was particularly
dangerous because of its benign name,” she said.
OCCJ also denounced state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, for her
anti-gay comments in January, when she said homosexuality is “the
biggest threat that our nation has, even more so than terrorism or
Islam.”
Another goal of OCCJ is creating an endowment to ensure its programs
continue. The group is always looking for more donors and members,
Day said.
“It’s going to take everyone joining with us to make sure Tulsa and
Oklahoma are the best we can be,” she said.
Langdon said the organization also is working on increasing awareness
of its programs and its mission. Events celebrating the 50th
anniversary are meant to remind people of OCCJ’s continued relevance
in society, he said.
The group also has plans to re-establish an office in Oklahoma City
in 2009. City leaders have expressed interest in supporting the
office, which would be free-standing and not a satellite of the Tulsa
location, Langdon said.
OCCJ continues to play an important role in promoting diversity and
acceptance in society, he said.
“If we all just work to celebrate our differences and the diversity
that we share, clearly, this world would be a better place,” he said.

———————————————————-
Shannon Muchmore 581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com
———————————————————-
UNITY THROUGH FILM — OCCJ FESTIVAL
All events are at Circle Cinema, 12 S. Lewis Ave. Films include: “The
Lunch Date,” “Freeheld,” and “A Time for Justice.”
Thursday: 6 p.m. wine reception; 7 p.m. films; 8:30 p.m. speech by
filmmaker Grace Guggenheim. Tickets: $50.
Friday: 7 p.m. films. Tickets: $10.
Saturday: 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. films. Tickets: Free for students; $5
adults.
Sunday: 2 p.m. films. Tickets: $10.
———————————————————-
OCCJ programs
Anytown, Oklahoma: An annual weeklong human relations summer camp for
teenagers throughout Oklahoma.
Teen Trialogue: A series of interfaith discussions among Christian,
Jewish and Muslim high school students.
The Common Ground Project: A steering committee that discusses
ongoing issues concerning religion, public schools and the First
Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Interfaith Trialogue: An annual series that brings together speakers
of various faiths.
Operation Understanding: An annual interfaith tour for middle and
high school students that includes tours of houses of worship and
teachings about various faith traditions.
Different and the Same: A series of videotapes for elementary
teachers to help children recognize, understand and prevent prejudice.