Thoughts from 36 Degrees North in Response to the Tragedy on 36th Street North

There’s no need to sugarcoat it. This has been a rough week for Tulsa. Our community is hurting. Confused. Scared. People are facing threats and hateful comments and endless judgment. It’s not pretty.

But as we scan the news and social media, and sift through all the pain, it is clear that our community is also hopeful. And energized. And on a mission to further unify our city.

Here at 36 Degrees North, we’re committed to being a part of that mission. Our own mission statement, created at our conception, is as follows:

“36 Degrees North is Tulsa’s basecamp for entrepreneurs. It's the best place to find a high-quality workspace, meaningful resources, and a diverse community of passionate individuals, so you can focus on creating a long-lasting, impactful business.”

Our value statement goes on to say that we aim to “pursue wisdom and experience, focus on what matters, share transparently, listen actively, show empathy, be persistent, create peace and do the right thing.”

A cynic would most likely call these goals idealistic, and possibly unrealistic. We’re well aware of that. So how about a dose of reality?

Here’s what we observe on a weekly basis:

Entrepreneurs from every walk of life coming together under one roof to achieve their business goals, and as a result, positively impact our city.

We have members who are grandparents and members who are still in high school. We have members who are black, white, hispanic, asian, native american and everything in between. We have members who don’t really have to worry about money and members who work two or more jobs to make ends meet. We have members who lean left and members who lean right. We have members with kids. Members with pets. Members who are married and members who aren’t.

And guess what? They’re working together. They’re helping each other solve problems and expand creativity. They’re brainstorming ways to make Tulsa better and more vibrant ever before. And friends... it’s truly a beautiful thing.

36 Degrees North is not a permanent landing spot for most people. It’s a launchpad where business owners can grow and learn. Like a bird leaving its nest, our members will move on from our co-working space to open their own offices or pursue new ventures.

So that’s why we’re committed to diversity now. That’s why we encourage and facilitate the mingling of all people. Our hope is that the interactions our members have with each other will change them and give them lessons that none of our workshops or seminars could ever teach. Lessons they will take with them to disseminate around our state- and our country. Lessons of understanding and perspective. To build what we all long for in the end: unity.