Launch of Terence Crutcher Foundation coincides with birthday...

Written by Ginnie Graham

In memory of her twin brother, Tiffany Crutcher is celebrating their birthday Wednesday by launching the Terence Crutcher Foundation, which will be dedicated to creating and sustaining programs that prevent, identify and address issues of inequity toward minority communities.

Terence Crutcher was an unarmed black man who was fatally shot last September by former Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby, who is white, after he did not obey orders when she stopped to check on his abandoned vehicle. Shelby was found not guilty of first-degree manslaughter in May and is now a Rogers County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy.

The shooting prompted protests and drew international attention as the country faced a growing list of unarmed black men killed by white officers.

The Crutcher family has deep roots in Tulsa and has vowed to channel their grief into seeking law enforcement and cultural reforms.

“I still can’t believe my twin brother won’t be here to celebrate our birthday this year,” Tiffany Crutcher said in an email. “On our birthday last year, we were so excited about turning the big 40 and all we talked about were our goals and aspirations. One of Terence’s last statements was that God would get the glory out of his life and that he was going to make me proud, and now I owe it to his legacy to make him proud.

“Although we are still hurting we know that God works incredible good out of unspeakable tragedy. So we decided to turn our pain into purpose and start the Terence Crutcher Foundation to ensure we keep his legacy of love and determination alive.”

The foundation’s vision — Belief, Attitude and Determination — is couched in the acronym BAD, a take on the statement, “Looks like a bad dude,” made by a Tulsa police officer in a helicopter moments before Crutcher was killed. The foundation’s website notes its “desire to change the narrative that perceive(s) black men as BAD DUDES and pipeline them into a ‘community of achievers’ through personal growth, education, and attainable resources.”

The initiatives stated by the foundation focus on education and anti-violence programs.

One of the initiatives is to “inspire at-risk, disenfranchised African-American males to tap into their God given potential through educational sessions including; personal growth & development, financial literacy, labor market etiquette, and understanding the political process, thus empowering them to become model citizens and affording them the opportunity to live their absolute best life.”

Tiffany Crutcher said a goal is to show these young men that “there is a purpose for life even through their struggles. We believe that through this foundation we can and will be the change that our entire community and city desires to see.”

The foundation is holding a “30 Days of Giving” drive leading up to the one-year anniversary of Crutcher’s death on Sept. 16. The account for the foundation is held at the Tulsa Community Foundation.

To commemorate Crutcher’s life, the foundation bearing his name will hold an inaugural memorial gala, themed “From Pain to Purpose,” at 6 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. The featured speaker will be Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Also honored at the event will be civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, who has visited Tulsa twice for rallies since Crutcher’s death; and local leaders Pastor Ray Owens of the Metropolitan Baptist Church, Pastor Rodney Goss of Morning Star Baptist Church, “Black Wall St. Times” founder Nehemiah Frank, and Jamaal Dyer, project manager of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot Centennial Commission.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who hosts the television program “Evidence of Innocence,” will emcee the event, which will have a red-carpet photo shoot and silent auction with items such as an autographed jersey from NBA MVP Russell Westbrook.

Ginnie Graham

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