BuzzFeed: “Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was kicked off a commission established to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre on Friday, just one week after he signed a bill banning the teaching of some issues surrounding race and racism in public schools. After signing HB 1775 on May 7, Stitt defended his decision, arguing, ‘Not one cent of taxpayer money should be used to define and divide young Oklahomans about their race or sex.'”

“But critics argue the new law is meant to squash the teaching of critical aspects of the country’s racial history, including the historical impact of racism on people of color. Members of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission had urged Stitt to veto the bill. One member subsequently quit in protest after the governor signed the bill into law. In a statement, the commission confirmed that it had agreed through consensus ‘to part ways with Governor Stitt.’ The emailed statement did not outline a reason for the decision.”

“The commission, formed in 2016, set out to spearhead projects to educate, commemorate, and address the impacts of the 1921 massacre that destroyed Tulsa’s Greenwood District, a Black community known at the time as the US’s ‘Black Wall Street.’ Mobs of white residents attacked the community and destroyed blocks of the neighborhood. Although dozens of people were believed to have been killed in the violent attack, a state commission estimated the number of casualties may have been as high as 300.”