Question 1: What is your name, title, and organization? How long have you been a member of the team?

Tevin McDaniel (He/Him), I am a Co-Founder and now serve as the Community Building Coordinator for Foundation for Liberating Minds. We were established in 2017.

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Question 2: Can you describe what your organization does in a nutshell?

Foundation for Liberating Minds focuses on disrupting the root causes of marginalization and oppression through transformative education. We do that by hosting trainings and workshops for schools, organizations, and churches, covering an array of topics tailored to their needs. We also engage in community programming across Oklahoma, such as our 1 in 2 campaign, which addresses narratives within the criminal legal system, and our SAFE commune, which has educated and trained 16 individuals in transformative and restorative practices around the state. These programs are designed to build safe communities in Oklahoma.

Lastly, we are working on building a school in Oklahoma City that will encompass all of these efforts through education.

Our website is: https://www.foundationforliberatingminds.org/
Follow us on social media: @foundation4lm

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Question 3: Can you share one thing from the last year, from your work, that you are really proud of?

We started a project to knock on every door in the Northeast Side of Oklahoma City to build relationships and community. We also created a website with a resource map, upcoming events, and ways for people to get in touch with us. The initiative has been received really well, and while we still have a long way to go, we are committed to continuing this effort!

The website for this project is: www.eastsi.de

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Question 4: What does public safety mean to you?

Public safety means that communities are fully equipped with all the resources necessary to thrive: accessible food, quality public education, and mental and behavioral health resources. These are the things that ensure communities can truly be safe.

Public safety also means having strong relationships with your neighbors—so if you need anything, you can rely on them, and vice versa. Public safety should rest in the hands of the community, with resources available to handle situations internally.

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Question 5: The You’ve Got Options Campaign is all about exposing communities, both online and in person, to the “options” that exist for community-led safety solutions. Why does it matter that YOUR community have options?

In a place like Oklahoma, which ranks close to last in categories like education but first in incarceration and suicide, we’ve seen for far too long what their idea of “public safety” does to our communities.

It’s vital that we have alternative opportunities and new ideas for the many people who are tired of what the government is doing. People are longing for change, but fear-mongering by those in power makes it difficult for them to recognize that there are other options.

However, there are other options—options that see people, hear them, and work every day to make our communities safer and stronger. These include diversion programs, housing solutions, food security initiatives, and improved education. There are people in Oklahoma who are actively working to make a difference and provide these alternatives.

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