03/19/2020
One of the things that makes Tulsa special is that we have been historically conditioned to help one another in a time of need. You don’t make it very long as a city like ours - as a city in Tornado Alley, as a city that regularly flooded, as a city that has been economically reliant on an industry famed for its booms and its busts - unless the residents of that city are the kind of people that take care of each other.
This is why we endure those hardships and go on to become known as America’s Most Generous City. Because it is in our DNA that we help each other.
Solidarity is a term that has been used in times of oppression or in different political movements, but it also reflects what has allowed Tulsa to grow and to thrive over decades.
We are entering into one of those times when we will be tested. When you look at the countries that are further into this pandemic event than ours, the ones that fared the best were those that mobilized as a community to do what had to be done in protection of their neighbors. We are fortunate in Tulsa, because this is one of our inherent strengths.
Because this is no ordinary time, we are doing things as a community to reflect that:
*No one will have their water shut for non-payment due to this event. Same goes for electricity (thanks to PSO), gas (thanks to ONG), cable or phone service (thanks to AT&T and Cox).
*Evictions are on pause, and municipal court dockets are suspended for 30 days.
Out of solidarity, I am asking three things of Tulsans:
1. Limit your physical contact to the fewest people possible. There is no magic number on this. It isn’t 250 or 50 or 10. The fewer people you come in contact with, the better your odds of avoiding COVID-19. We want to do this so our health care system has the resources available for those who will need it the most as the virus spreads. If you are an employer, consider what you ask of your employees in this regard.
2. Tulsa People has established an excellent list of local businesses and organizations who are adapting their business models to better serve you during this pandemic event. If you can afford it, please buy something from this list every day. There’s lots of great stuff here, but more importantly there are lots of good people in our community whose livelihoods depend on all of us adapting our spending habits. The list is regularly updated here: https://www.tulsapeople.com/the-voice/how-to-support-tulsa-businesses-nonprofits-during-covid/article_92f4d022-67c8-11ea-977e-f744130d737a.html
3. A fellow Tulsan suggested to me that we put up holiday lights to remind people of hope. I thought that was a great idea, because we are a city of faith in the future and we love to share hope with one another. So I went outside with my daughter to decorate one tree in our yard. If you’d like to join us in doing so, please do. I know this seems pretty insignificant when people are facing unemployment and illness. But a lot of Tulsans are facing uncertain times. The economic impact has already started, and families throughout our community will face trying days as their loved ones contract this virus. When you’re going through a dark time, it can help to see a light in the darkness. At a time when we can’t come together physically, a light can be a physical symbol to everyone who sees it that “You’re not in this alone. We will get through this together.” If nothing else, if you have kids climbing the walls of your house like I do, this is something they can get outside and do. And if you don’t want to do the light idea, please think of another way you can show your neighbors that you’re with them through this.
I am so grateful for the way Tulsans are handling this in a businesslike way, putting one foot in front of the other each day. These are unprecedented times. But we will emerge on the other side of it and, as Winston Churchill once said, “the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.” Each of us has a role to play in getting there. And we will, with solidarity.
