For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Angela Allmond, Communications Director
Oklahoma Democratic Party
angela@okdemocrats.org

Gov. Sets a New Low with MLK and McGirt Comments

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, JANUARY 18, 2022 – The Oklahoma Democratic Party condemns the governor’s recent comments that Martin Luther King Jr. would be “disgusted” by the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt ruling. His out-of-touch comments only demonstrate how much Stitt does not understand what Dr. King truly stood for and the civil rights issues marginalized communities face even now.

“It is beyond belief that Stitt attempted to use Dr. King’s platform to bash the McGirt ruling,” stated Alicia Andrews, Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. “Such exploitation of an honored civil rights leader for the purpose of self-absorption on a day of remembrance is unconscionable.

“This is a new low for this governor. He obviously has no clue of Dr. King’s words and may need a history lesson before spewing things he knows nothing about,” continued Andrews.

“Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shores, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles of racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its Indigenous population. Moreover, we elevated that tragic experience into a noble crusade. Indeed, even today, we have not permitted ourselves to reject or feel remorse for this shameful episode. Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“We need leadership that is better informed and better prepared to represent all Oklahomans. We need leadership that isn’t constantly working to disenfranchise our citizens. This latest example of Stitt’s lack of understanding proves why Oklahomans must come together to elect new leaders who believe in justice and are better connected to our communities,” Andrews concluded.

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For more information about the Oklahoma Democratic Party, visit the party website at okdemocrats.org, or call party headquarters at 405-427-3366.