What’s happening, Oklahoma?

We’ve entered pretty ominous territory for regular citizens in this post-Charlie Kirk world. Vice President J.D. Vance encouraged listeners of Kirk’s continuing radio show, which Vance hosted on Monday, to report people who celebrated Kirk’s death to their employers.

The obvious problem here is that the verb “celebrated” is totally left to interpretation and will inevitably intersect with political speech. Is questioning the life Kirk lived and the things he said about Black people — is that celebration? What exactly is celebration, and could it ever be anything we could all agree upon?

The not-so-obvious problem here, for many who don’t understand the United States Constitution, is that even your political speech isn’t protected when it comes to your job. Our Founding Fathers were protecting us from prosecution by the government, not from your boss.

Stick with me here. The rabbit hole continues.

The really-not-so-obvious problem for any employer, however, who terminates somebody for exercising their First Amendment rights happens whenever they terminate the wrong person. There doesn’t appear to be any law that says an employer has to enforce its own policies equally. There also aren’t any federal protections for protected classes and political speech.

(Note: Many states protect employee speech. Oklahoma is not one of them. State Superintendent Ryan Walters has threatened to strip the license from teachers who post anything regarding Kirk he doesn’t like.)

However, if an employer terminates somebody from a protected class for something they say online that could be deemed political speech, the employee could have a wrongful termination case if the employer wasn’t on top of their Ps and Qs, enforcing its policy equitably.

Oh, there was no policy, you say? That could be a problem. But I digress.

What is a protected class, you ask? A protected class is a group of people who share a common characteristic that is legally protected from discrimination in the workplace such as race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, veteran status, or genetic information.

Holy Moses. That’s a lot of folks. Genetic information? I don’t even know what that means exactly.

But if you fire somebody in a protected class for posting political speech, the company had better hope that person can’t make a decent argument that their protected status played any role in the dismissal.

Employers with competent HR and legal departments actually want no part of this situation. Here’s why: wrongful termination lawsuits cost lots of money. Note that I didn’t say wrongful termination losses — I said lawsuits. No owner wants to spend their money on legal and especially lose a lot of money to legal; ergo, the risk isn’t worth it.

Especially in this situation where an EEOC complaint could theoretically accompany the lawsuit.

They might work to find another reason to get you out the door, but for most companies, this isn’t the hill they want to lose money on.

My best advice to you: Write that angry social media post in a text file, in your journal, your Evernote and then go to bed. You’ll be glad in the morning you didn’t post it publicly but with the satisfaction of getting those words on paper. Is this the hill you want to get fired on?

The rest of you? If you tattle, please don’t tell anybody you did.

Nobody in their right mind will ever trust you again.

You can message me anytime at [email protected].

Slight chances of rain, but mostly sunny.

🌡️ Tuesday's high in OKC 88°
🌡️ Tuesday’s high in Tulsa 90°

By Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton, Tulsa World
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Citing the timing and an existing statutory requirement, several Tulsa-area school districts notified parents Monday that they will not change their routine Tuesday to honor a request from State Superintendent Ryan Walters to observe an additional moment of silence in honor of slain activist Charlie Kirk.

Leaders with Bixby, Broken Arrow, Claremore, Jenks, Owasso, Tulsa, KIPP Tulsa and Union all sent notifications out to parents and staff Monday afternoon saying their districts will not have an organized additional moment of silence on Tuesday.

The move came after Walters sent an email Monday afternoon to parents and school district officials across the state, calling for all Oklahoma public schools to observe a moment of silence at noon Tuesday in Kirk’s honor.

Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after he was shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University.

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By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
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OKLAHOMA CITY – A Tulsa woman wants June 1 designated as a day to remember the 1921 race massacre.

Francetta L. Mays earlier this month filed paperwork with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office in hopes of putting the idea before voters in the form of State Question 838.

The measure asks voters to designate June 1 as “Greenwood Remembrance and Reconciliation Day.”

The day would recognize the trauma the overlooked community is still suffering, Mays said Monday.

“Lives were lost,” Mays said. “The economic development of the community has suffered.”

Mays is associate pastor of Vernon AME Church in the Greenwood District. The church is the only surviving Black-owned structure from the 1921 race massacre.

The day would recognize and honor the victims and survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred from May 31 to June 1, 1921. White mobs burned and destroyed 35 blocks of Black homes and businesses in the Tulsa neighborhood. Officially around three dozen residents died, but some estimate as many as 300 people were killed. 

The proposed measure would not have a fiscal impact on the state.

It seeks to create a new law.

Because it is a new law and not a constitutional amendment, 92,262 signatures would be needed to put the measure on the ballot. A constitutional change requires 172,993 signatures to get on the ballot. 

Michael Byrd, of Washington, D.C., runs the Bridge Points Project, which works to unstick “the most stuck political issues with ballot measures.” The organization is partnering with Mays on the proposed state question.

If approved by voters, the measure would just create a day of observance, he said.

“I can’t think of any more of an Oklahoma issue than the Tulsa Race Massacre,” he said.

Polling indicates it has a super majority of support, he said.

Byrd said he expects the process to go quite smoothly. Supporters hope to get it on the November 2026 general election ballot, he said.

Rep. Ronald Stewart Jr., D-Tulsa, said the event is significant enough to be recognized with state day of remembrance.

Stewart said he recognizes that talking about historical events sometimes is met with resistance.

“In order to learn and progress from our history, the good, bad or the ugly, recognition such as this goes a long way in the healing process and the planning of our future,” Stewart said.

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A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• Man accused of kidnapping woman and crashing into another vehicle, killing 2, in northeast OKC (KOCO)

• Oklahoma Supreme Court puts new social studies standards on hold (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma County jail interim CEO Paul Timmons resigns (KOCO)

• Strother fire chief arrested in prostitution sting; board votes to suspend him (News 9)

• Charter contract canceled for OKC Montessori school (Oklahoma Voice)

• OKC bar erupts in chaos as shots ring out amid ABLE Commission raid (KOCO)

• Former Ardmore baseball coach charged with rape (KXII)

• Gun found in student’s backpack at Dickson School (KXII)

• Land commissioners turn away projects amid anti-renewable pressures (Oklahoma Watch)

• Attorney General announces request for investigation into Roblox (2 News Oklahoma)

• Rodeo community rallies for McClain Co. deputy's family impacted by arson fire (News 9)

• Oklahoma lawmakers explore the benefits of using solar panels on working agricultural land (KGOU)

• Oklahoma GOP wants to honor Charlie Kirk with state holiday (KOCO)

• Midtown Oklahoma City's Baptist Building added to National Register of Historic Places (KOSU)

• Former OU College of Engineering Dean Thomas Landers dies at 75 (OU Daily)

• Brent Venables on Jackson Arnold's return to Norman: 'This is about Oklahoma vs Auburn' (The Oklahoman)

• City of Lawton officials to kick off its 46th Annual International Festival soon (KSWO)

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(Cover photo of Ryan Walters was taken by Whitney Bryen, Oklahoma Voice, in 2023.)