Oklahoma Watch (https://oklahomawatch.org/series/conversations/)
Since moving to Oklahoma in 1999, Catherine Montgomery has helped bring about some of the state’s more notable historical preservation projects. In this video, she discusses past preservation mistakes and future restoration opportunities.
Named as principal of the year, Aspasia Carlson talks about her efforts to turn around Oklahoma City’s John Marshall Mid-High School, which had a history of difficulties dating back to busing.
Theodis Manning, Sr., is a former member of a Bloods street gang set. Now he’s senior pastor of Divine Wisdom Worship Center in Midwest City and co-founder of an outreach group that works with gang members and their children.
The Oklahoma director of the Humane Society of the United States talks about how she became an animal welfare advocate, the state’s biggest issues with animal maltreatment, and what laws need to change or be approved.
Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby, is the driving force behind the Museum of the Bible, a 430-,000-square-foot facility scheduled to open in November in Washington, D.C. Green talks about the museum’s purpose and his view of the relationship between the Bible and the U.S. government.
Dr. Nicole Washington, the main psychiatrist at Family and Children’s Services in Tulsa, discusses the types of low-income clients she sees, the persistent problem of stigma, and why mental illness in poor neighborhoods should matter to all Oklahomans.
Broadway star and Oklahoma native Kelli O’Hara talks about how exposure to the arts makes a difference in people’s lives and how she has had to deal with assumptions about artistic ability because she’s from Oklahoma.
Decades from now, what will the memorial commemorating the Oklahoma City bombing mean to the city and wider public? Kari Watkins, executive director of the memorial and museum, talks about why she believes the tragedy will remain relevant for generations.
Imam Imad Enchassi grew up in Palestinian refugee camps in war-torn Lebanon and ended up in the heart of the Bible Belt. He talks about Muslims in Oklahoma, his boyhood memories of a nun, and the good will that arose out of the Oklahoma City bombing.
For renowned chef and entrepreneur Rick Bayless, who grew up in Oklahoma City, the obesity epidemic in Oklahoma and elsewhere reflects a misguided relationship with food. And “I am a huge believer in ‘all food is good food.'”