How bad is the Racism in Oklahoma? (Elk City, Cherokee: sales, insurance)

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by wjohnson53

I find racism in Oklahoma, usually existing through individuals or groups of individuals with an agenda.

I think you'll find racism anywhere. Sadly, racism exists in this country and all over the world. I think Oklahoma's one of the more tame areas, probably because most white Okies grew up with a lot of Native American friends. I went back to my home town (well, the town that I graduated high school from) recently and my sister had an African American friend. He was probably one of three in the town of several hundred. He didn't seem to have a hard time at all; he liked it there. People treated him the way he treated them ---- DECENT.

[chasingclouds]

just depends where you live and what age group. OKC is becoming really diverse and accepting but If I go shopping as a white woman in one grocery store near my house, I have been verbally attacked and pushed, carts pushed into me and cussed out many many times for doing nothing. yep racism can go both ways and does.

[techienomad]

Racism is everywhere in every state. Just by this question of the post, shows how people think only whites are racist. Racism goes every which way. On a flip note, I think OK is one of the nicest states in the country, period.

[nocoldiron]

I know at some point in OK history,it had more African American towns than any other state.I was surprised the other day while researching a town that the racial makeup was 85% black (just north of Tulsa).I'm not a racist but my husband is-I don't buy into his story that it is because he was a New York City 2nd shift bus driver,I was the night emergency waterman (waterwoman sounds strange) in KCMO for years in the predominately black area's.I've been far more discriminated against as a woman then as a white in my life.My mother was a native Oklahoman (OKC) and had not a predjudiced bone in her body,my father was a Kansan and had them for her.

[peggydavis]

That's an interesting point, nocoldiron. I have encountered so much discrimination just because I am a woman. I think that is the same all over the country.

[colleeng47]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

That's an interesting point, nocoldiron. I have encountered so much discrimination just because I am a woman. I think that is the same all over the country.

I am either naive or non-observent because I can honestly say I've never encountered any discrimination because I'm a woman. If I did, I probably assumed they just didn't like ME.

[peggydavis]

I was mainly thinking about discrimination in employment and on the job. I will say there has been a lot of progress since I first got a job, oh so many years ago. I think the young women of today will have much less discrimination.

[nocoldiron]

Colleen-were certain things never taught to you because you were a girl-like how to sharpen a knife,change the oil in your car,mow the lawn,hammer a nail (yes,there is a correct way) or any other thing taught a son and not a daughter? Have you ever applied for a non traditional job.When I went to work for the KCMO Water Dept.,it was 95% black,100% male.I was 4th on the test,had been a telephone installer,a heating and air conditioning mechanic,a warehouseman, and was an ex-Marine Vietnam era.I was 6 foot tall,could bench press 200 lbs. I called them up when it had been a while since I got the test scores-they had hired 6 black males in the meantime,non of them as qualified.Threatened lawsuit,immediately scheduled for interview.The head man's secretary wispered to me there had been another woman applicant the year before but they didn't hire her because she was pregnant.Had them schedule my physical for two weeks away,went and had abortion (I wasn't showing yet) because I really needed the job to feed the child I had already.Had physical,was told goverment funding for program to expand department was gone,GRRR.Was hired several months later when several guys who had been hired in front of me quit or got fired.Spent 30 days training and was put directly on nights in worse part of town..4 years later when I wanted to go to days because my son was in school and put in for day opening,was told no one with less seniority than me had enough time on the job-they liked them to have at LEAST 1 year on the job before they were put on nights,GRRR.Reminded them of my 30 days training before being put on nights,threatened lawsuit,and gosh,a guy with less seniority then me was put on nights.Do not get me started on discrimation against women-I was used by a womens group at the labor union to get women into non traditional jobs.I may sound terribly butch but I was 36/22/36 and doing modeling before I went into the Marines (needed GI Bill for college) I didn't become a nurse till I was 40 and guess what,it is an accepted fact that male nurses make more money than female nurses as soon as they graduate GRRR

[_redbird_]

This is the part where I usually make a light-hearted post with something like, Olga and Helga want you for their Army, but I am afraid you might bench press my head into the red dirt.

So, I'll just say, great post, nocoldiron.

I will say OK is moving forward in the areas of racism. Racism was horrible back in the 60's and early 70's in the small town I came from, I was even refused service at a cafe in 1970. But for the most part it is really changing. And I have witnessed that first hand.

The small town where we grew up in SW Oklahoma now has a female Police Chief, which was unheard of back in the day. I believe another town around here also has a female Police Chief. We have a lot of female correctional officers working in male prisons nowadays.

Unfortunately, the major discrimination now is along the lines of sexuality. Oh well, one obstacle at a time.

[flintysooner]

I think this is an interesting discussion.

We moved to Moore when I was a very young child. Then it was a rural area although it is not now. My paternal grandparents lived on the same farm across the driveway. What I knew about women I learned from my family and from the teachers at school when I was old enough to go. Our family had been farmers or blacksmiths or some other kind of entrepreneurial business people for decades. I remember sometime early reading about women and suffrage and discrimination and being terribly surprised. Because the women I knew could do and would do just about anything that any man I knew could do. I recall that a neighbor's daughter became a school bus driver in the late 50's or early 60's. But no one really thought much about it because that girl had been driving wheat trucks and tractors since she was in grade school pretty much like the boys had done as well.

I also knew a few black men and several Native Americans and some Hispanic men. Without exception these were proud men and women who were independent and strong and capable. The first thing I remember about race discrimination was the Oklahoma City Sit-Ins of 1957. I guess in part because we got our first TV the year before and there was coverage of a sort about the Sit-Ins. I was shocked. A decade later I took a trip through Selma, Alabama. And I had to call home and the phone in the place I stopped was in the "colored" section of this restaurant. It scared me to death!

At any rate I know there still exists racism and bigotry and I sometimes see it. But certainly things have improved considerably.

I guess I didn't have much point to this post except to reminisce.