The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Episode: A Teachers' Strike and a Democratic Movement in Oklahoma
Date: May 31, 2018
Host: Dorothy Wickenden
Guest: Rivka Galchen

Overview

This episode of The Political Scene dives deep into the 2018 Oklahoma teachers’ strike and its reverberations in state and national politics. Executive Editor Dorothy Wickenden speaks with writer Rivka Galchen about the catalyst for the walkout, the historical and political context behind Oklahoma’s educational funding crisis, the grassroots organizing that fueled the movement, and how it’s reinvigorating local democratic participation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Backdrop: Oklahoma’s Budget Crisis and the Teachers’ Walkout

• Severe Cuts: Over the past decade, Oklahoma’s Republican-led legislature slashed more than a billion dollars from K-12 funding, resulting in over 200 schools moving to four-day weeks ([01:16-01:52]).
• Initial Legislative Response: As teachers began strike preparations, a 5% pay raise was passed—but with little extra funding for student resources. The subsequent nine-day walkout shut down every major school district in the state ([01:52-02:10]).
• Scale of Protest: 80,000 people attended the demonstration at the Capitol in Oklahoma City ([02:10]).

Notable Quote:
“We would gladly give up a raise to have the money for textbooks and smaller class sizes…to leave them and have to make a stand is kind of heartbreaking.”
— Holly Peart, elementary school teacher ([02:26])

2. Historical and Political Shifts in Oklahoma

• From Blue to Deep Red: Oklahoma’s shift from a relatively progressive Democratic state to a solidly Republican one occurred later than many southern states, primarily in the 1990s, driven largely by evangelical movements pushing issues like gay marriage, abortion, and gun rights ([04:05-05:14]).
• Culture Wars’ Role: The deepening of political divides mirrored national trends in the culture wars, shifting the electorate “almost on a dime” ([05:14]).

Notable Quote:
“The first American evangelical Christian president was Jimmy Carter. And that was also what Oklahoma was…And then that changed and it became about culture.”
— Rivka Galchen ([05:18])

3. Rise of Grassroots Organization

• People-Led, Not Top-Down: Organizing was spontaneous, community-driven, and not led by major unions. Examples included marches sparked by personal conversations and viral social media organizing ([06:08-07:16]).
  • Heather Cody started a 100-mile march from Tulsa by simply reaching out to friends.
  • A 25-year-old teacher, Alberto Morijon, launched a Facebook group that quickly grew from a handful of followers to over 70,000 ([07:16]).
• Contagion of Activism: The movement spread because “everyone wanted it to be there,” propelled by local desire for action and solidarity ([07:40]).

Notable Quote:
“One person is not a movement, it’s the next person.”
— Rivka Galchen ([07:45])

4. Links to Broader Movements and Civic Participation

• Inspired by Other Protests: Many participants were first emboldened by the Women’s March and the rise of the MeToo movement ([08:08-08:48]).
• Voter Engagement: Activists noted the absence of Democratic candidates in half the state’s counties. The answer: “let’s make this a democratic process…even if we’re going to lose” ([08:48]).

5. Structural Issues: Oil Industry, Earthquakes, and Austerity

• Oil industry's influence led to low taxes on fracking, which, along with budget cuts, eroded state services including education, healthcare, and infrastructure ([09:21-10:56]).
• Persistent Austerity: Many teachers pointed out that these cuts benefited only a narrow wealthy set, with capital gains tax cuts helping only “about 800 families” ([13:07]).

6. The Lives and Sacrifices of Teachers

• Low Pay and High Turnover: Oklahoma ranks 49th in teacher salary; many with decades of experience earn less than $40,000/year, causing high turnover ([11:43-12:56]).
• Schools as Social Safety Nets: Teachers worried about what four-day weeks meant for students dependent on school lunches ([12:56]).

Notable Quote:
“The raises are the icing on the cake…they think, you know, take away the raise, just fund the schools.”
— Rivka Galchen ([11:57])

7. Local Political Revival and New Leadership

• Barriers in Statehouse: Despite large-scale protests, legislative processes repeatedly stymied debate and funding discussions ([13:43-15:21]).
• New Faces Running for Office: Dozens of teachers and grassroots organizers decided to run for office themselves, including Mickey Dolenz, who made personal connections with constituents as a key to his campaign ([15:21-16:33]).
  • Dolenz dressed as a mailman to increase door-answer rates and built his platform by listening to local concerns ([15:40-17:17]).
• Intergenerational Energy: Young activists and new leaders like Anna Langthorne and the founders of the Frontier Coalition shifted the focus to local, practical problems—bridging generations in the process ([17:39-19:01]).

Notable Quote:
“It’s just conversation by conversation by conversation…that’s the real way we’re going to have change.”
— Anna Langthorne, Democratic Party chair ([19:48])

8. The Enduring Impact of Grassroots Politics

• Relentless Organizing: The movement’s strength came from “old-fashioned retail politics”—constant door-knocking, face-to-face conversations, totaling tens of thousands of home visits ([19:48-20:22]).
• A Path Forward: Despite slow legislative change, a wave of teachers and supporters are running for office, including both Democrats and Republicans. Even if incumbents hold seats, “they will have spoken to their electorate for the first time in years”—a victory in itself ([21:14-22:01]).

Notable Quote:
“One thing that’s so great is half of these seats in the legislature have been unopposed for years…even in the cases where incumbents win…they will have spoken to their electorate for the first time in years.”
— John Waldron, teacher and candidate ([21:38])

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Holly Peart on the stakes for teachers:
  “We would gladly give up a raise to have money for textbooks and smaller class sizes…and to leave them and make a stand is kind of heartbreaking.” ([02:26])

• Rivka Galchen on social justice roots:
  “The first American evangelical Christian president was Jimmy Carter…and that was also what Oklahoma was…Then that changed and it became about culture.” ([05:18])

• On grassroots momentum:
  “One person is not a movement, it’s the next person.” ([07:45])

• On local engagement:
  “It’s just conversation by conversation by conversation…that’s the real way we’re going to have change.” — Anna Langthorne ([19:48])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:16] – Introduction to Oklahoma’s education funding crisis
• [02:26] – Teacher Holly Peart on personal impact of the strike
• [04:13] – How Oklahoma shifted from blue to red
• [06:08] – The March from Tulsa: grassroot origins
• [07:16] – Social media’s role in rapid organizing
• [08:48] – The Frontier Coalition and building local democracy
• [09:21] – Oil, fracking, and budget austerity
• [11:43] – Reporting on teacher experiences and school conditions
• [13:43] – The legislative roadblocks during the strike
• [15:21] – Mickey Dolenz’s campaign and personal contacting
• [17:39] – The growing influence of young political activists
• [19:48] – Retail politics and the future of organizing
• [21:14] – Teachers running for office and increasing democratic participation

Conclusion

This episode reveals how the Oklahoma teachers’ strike became a model of bottom-up democratic revival in a deeply red state, illustrating the power and limitations of grassroots activism. From inspiring stories of individual educators-turned-candidates to the struggle for legislative change, Dorothy Wickenden and Rivka Galchen unpack how this movement is reshaping civic life—not only in Oklahoma, but as part of a wider revival in American local democracy.