The people of Oklahoma deserve better. We deserve leadership

In the words of Lynn Schusterman: “The people of Oklahoma deserve better. We deserve leadership that’s willing and unafraid to take a public stand against bigotry and bullying.” This is not a cry made lightly, but a call that reverberates through the ages, reminding us that the measure of any society is not in the wealth it amasses or the monuments it builds, but in how it defends the dignity of its people. To rise against injustice is the highest duty of those entrusted with power, and to remain silent in the face of cruelty is to betray the sacred trust of leadership.

The ancients taught that rulers were not gods above men, but stewards of the people. In the great city of Athens, the citizens once chose ostracism for those who threatened the unity of the polis, sending away the proud and the cruel so that harmony might remain. For what is a community if its leaders tremble before hatred, or worse, stand idle while the weak are crushed? To rule is not to bask in honor, but to take the arrows of criticism so that others may live without fear. Such is the courage Schusterman demands—leaders who will stand visibly, audibly, firmly against bigotry and bullying, no matter the cost.

History offers us shining examples. Recall Eleanor Roosevelt, who in an age still steeped in prejudice, spoke unashamedly for human rights at the United Nations. Though ridiculed by many, she refused to step back, declaring that dignity must be defended not in grand halls alone, but “in small places, close to home.” In her courage, the world found a model of leadership that placed conscience above comfort. The lesson is eternal: those who carry the mantle of authority must be willing to stand before the storm, not behind it.

Nor is this battle distant. In every town, every school, every workplace, the poison of bullying and bigotry seeks to spread. We see it in children mocked for their difference, in neighbors scorned for their faith or their love, in voices silenced because they dare to challenge the powerful. And yet, history also shows us the opposite: when a single leader speaks boldly, others gather courage. Just as one flame can ignite a thousand torches, so can one act of moral bravery awaken an entire people.

The people of Oklahoma, like all people, deserve more than timid leaders. They deserve those who understand that silence in the face of cruelty is complicity. Leadership that bows before prejudice is no leadership at all; it is cowardice clothed in office. But leadership that rises, even trembling, to confront injustice becomes the guardian of hope. This is the kind of leadership that builds not just policies, but legacies remembered for generations.

From this truth comes a clear lesson: in our own lives, we too must practice this courage. For leadership is not reserved only for governors and officials; it is born in classrooms, in workplaces, in the daily choices of ordinary men and women. When we witness bullying, let us not look away. When we hear bigotry, let us not stay silent. To defend another is to lead, no matter our station.

Therefore, O listener, let this teaching be carved upon your heart: to be a true leader is to stand where others will not, to speak when silence is safer, to protect the vulnerable though it invites the wrath of the powerful. If you would honor your people, whether in Oklahoma or any land, do not flinch before the task. Confront cruelty with courage. Confront hatred with truth. And in so doing, become the living answer to Schusterman’s cry—that the people deserve better, and that we ourselves are the ones who must rise to give it to them.