The Day a Tulsa Student Changed His City — And No One Noticed
The Day a Tulsa Student Changed His City — And No One Noticed
Seven years ago, a young Black man walked into Tulsa City Hall and walked out with a mayoral proclamation. His name is Paul Said. This Thursday is the anniversary.
TULSA, OK — On May 14, 2019, a Holland Hall student named Paul Said did something most elected adults never do: he convinced the Mayor of Tulsa to listen. That day, Mayor G.T. Bynum signed an official City of Tulsa proclamation declaring May 14th \"Holland Hall Decency Day\" — a student-led initiative to make decency a civic standard across Tulsa schools, businesses, and neighborhoods.
No newspaper ran the story. No television crew showed up. A young man — Black, from an immigrant family, a student — had made history quietly, and the city moved on without noticing.
This Thursday, May 14th, 2026, is the seventh anniversary of that proclamation. It is also National Decency Day. Next Vision Tulsa is making sure Tulsa does not let it pass unnoticed again.
"As an immigrant, it is hard to stand your ground — there is always a feeling of being a second-class citizen. But I also challenge myself to be true to myself, to my culture, to the mother and nature, and to every ancestor who lived before me. There is a phrase in Swahili called Ubuntu — it roughly translates to: I am because we are."
— Polito, Founder & CEO, Next Vision TulsaPaul Said, the student who led the original effort alongside classmates Olivia Brown and Ike Walker, is now a young adult and a member of the Tulsa community that Next Vision serves. His proclamation — signed, stamped, and sealed — sat largely unknown for seven years.
"Our Founding Fathers had a vision for everyone. Martin Luther King had a dream that gave us hope. So I challenge Tulsa: what is your dream? What is your vision? How are we going to make Tulsa reflect the truth about Tulsa?"
— Polito, Founder & CEO, Next Vision TulsaMay carries particular weight in Tulsa. This month marks the annual remembrance of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. In that context, the story of a young Black student fighting for decency in a city still learning to reckon with its past takes on deeper meaning.
"I was terrified going through ICE. But as I sat there, I saw a grumpy security agent high-fiving a curious little boy. We were welcomed. They listened. We laughed. I share this because despite what is happening nationally — Tulsans will always be OK-lahoma."
— Polito, Founder & CEO, Next Vision TulsaAre you a visionary? And what type of vision do you have for Tulsa?
Next Vision Tulsa — a creative agency, media brand, and community platform — was founded on the belief that youth voices matter and that community is built through creative excellence, not charity.
Next Vision Tulsa is a Tulsa-based creative agency, SaaS platform, media brand, and community ecosystem founded to empower the next generation of artists, storytellers, and entrepreneurs. Founded by Polito — artist, filmmaker, and entrepreneur with roots in Mwanza, Tanzania — Next Vision operates through four arms: creative agency, Club NVStudios, the Daraja Podcast, and the Tulsa Film Tribe. nextvisiontulsa.com
National Decency Day is observed annually on May 14th and was founded to restore basic standards of civility in everyday life.
Next Vision News
Tulsa, Oklahoma
nextvisiontulsa.com
@nextvisiontulsa
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The Story Behind Decency Day
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