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Charity Inc.: Embracing diversity

By: Marnie Taylor//May 4, 2016//

Charity Inc.: Embracing diversity

By: Marnie Taylor//May 4, 2016//

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Marnie Taylor
Marnie Taylor

With the OKC Thunder in the playoffs, I wanted to share a more personal story about getting to know one of the team’s stars. Last summer, my husband, Clayton, and I welcomed Enes Kanter to our home to introduce him to Oklahoma. As part of his welcome, we wanted to extend our hospitality in a way that was indicative of our Oklahoma Standard.

Part of that embrace was opening our own hearts to new cultural experiences. We were mindful of Enes’ Turkish nationality, heritage and religious observances as we planned for the backyard reception. In front of our house flew flags from Oklahoma, the United States, the Thunder and Turkey.

In October, I also had a chance to visit Turkey with a delegation of Oklahoma nonprofit leaders including Ersin Demirci with the Dialogue Institute and Turkish Raindrop House. We were fortunate to learn about the nonprofit sector in Turkey and talk about the cultural differences of our two countries. We even had the opportunity to have dinner with Enes’ father, Mehmet Kanter.

Enes Kanter has been frank in recent articles in The Oklahoman and Wall Street Journal about how Oklahoma has welcomed him. His story reminds me that in all of our differences – whether color of skin, our faith, our gender, our families, our age, our nationalities, our abilities or our own identities – we have common threads. It is time that we think more critically about how to incorporate the values of diversity, inclusion and equity for all of our citizens.

The more the nonprofit sector embraces diversity in all of its forms, the better we serve Oklahoma and our citizens. Over the past five years at the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, we have consciously worked hard to diversify our own staff and board and to teach others the importance of inclusion and equity as part of a more focused initiative to increase cultural competency.

My hope is that we will continue these crucial conversations about inclusion into the future. I also hope that Enes, along with anyone who helps build diverse communities, feels welcomed and embraced. By building bridges instead of walls, these new perspectives create a more vibrant Oklahoma and better quality of life for all of our citizens.

Marnie Taylor is president and CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. She can be reached at (405) 463-6886, ext. 201, or [email protected].