Know the name, Isaiah Lewis

I have never heard the name Isaish Lewis spoken out loud on this campus. Almost nothing saddens me more.

Unarmed, naked and in the midst of a psychotic break, 17-year-old Isaiah Lewis was shot by Edmond police officers four times in the face, thighs and groin, tragically causing his death in April 2019.

Not only did Lewis live and attend school in Edmond, Oklahoma, he also played basketball at the Memorial Road Church of Christ gym located right off of school property. I do not know how this community can get more proximate to an instance of police brutality.

Isaiah Lewis drove on our roads. Isaiah Lewis had to have known, specifically, about the existence of Oklahoma Christian University. Isaiah Lewis played in the same gym across the hall from the Memorial Road Campus Ministry, where countless Oklahoma Christian students attend church. Isaiah Lewis was a teenager, who inevitably occupied space within a close geographic range of many of us. Isaiah Lewis existed within our very grasp.

Still, I have never heard the name Isaish Lewis come out of the mouth of anyone at this school.

Amid the sea of police brutality victims, it can become overwhelming to consume the details of every situation. But, every student, staff and faculty member should know the name and remember the legacy of Lewis, who picked up his graduation gown not long before his untimely death.

When I remember Isaish Lewis I cannot help but think of my younger brother who is also 17 and is getting ready to graduate. A part of me fears his driving off to college, facing endless highways scattered with police vehicles. The grim reality of racial injustice lingers constantly in my mind. 

Like so many officers in these incidents, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater quickly absolved the officers in Lewis’ case of any punitive measures. According to Prater’s official statement, which unnecessarily considers the divorce of Lewis’ parents among other superfluous details, Prater states he did not find “probable cause” to charge the officers with criminal acts.

Following the death of Geoge Floyd, some Edmond residents took to the streets demanding justice for Isaiah Lewis. I hope, in the future, the Oklahoma Christain community can involve itself, in some capacity, in demanding justice for Lewis. We need to talk, openly, about victims of police brutality. We must learn about systemic racism. We must increase in dialogue. Action must always follow.

Racism and injustice are here in Edmond, Oklahoma just like everywhere else in the United States. Choosing not to think about racism does not absolve the Oklahoma Christian community, especially students of color on this campus, from its harrowing existence.

Now is the time to get proximate to gain a better understanding of racial injustices. This is about more than posting on social media to show solidarity. 

Participate in Black Student Union events. Everyone is welcome. Go to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) book club every Friday at 11 in Judd Theatre. Get involved with a non-profit on the Eastside or Southside of the city. We are only located 10-15 minutes away from these communities. Educate yourself about the many injustices in Oklahoma City.  

Realize the fear Black students may have concerning the Edmond police department compared to your own fear, or lack thereof.

My aim is not to make anyone feel guilty, but to convict this community to act and speak up rather than to remain silent. If you did not know about Isaish Lewis’s tragic story, now you do. Do not forget his experience.