Bama: An inclusive, diverse place to work in Oklahoma

by Victoria Backle
Staff Writer

It seems as though it’s getting difficult to find a company that cares more about its employees than it does cutting corners to make profits. We live in a world that often condemns the terms “politically correct” and “diversity”, but one Oklahoma-based company stood up in the face of that adversity and made a plan to be openly inclusive.

That company is called Bama, named after Cornelia Alabama Marshall, aka “Grandma Bama.” They are a family-started business and an innovative manufacturer of bakery goods in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The company has been making pies and other baked goods since 1937 and has now expanded to international acclaim.

However delicious their pies are, and however impressive their history may be, what really sets this company apart is their inclusion and diversity policy.

Paula Marshall, CEO and Chief Inclusion Officer of Bama, has made it a point to make sure her company strives for a culture of acceptance, active inclusivity and personal and professional growth opportunities for everyone. Marshall has been especially active in transgender rights and inclusion.

“She chose to be proactive and to reach out to the trans community through her business,” said Allyssa Bryant, a transgender rights lawyer and consultant for Bama. “Despite it being a blue-collar work force with a heap of difficulty in policy relating to locker rooms and bathrooms, she decided they were going to make it happen for their transgender employees. For no other reason, other than it is simply the right thing to do.”

The company has implemented anti-discrimination policies and insurance benefits for employees who are transitioning and they also provide training in order to implement the policies effectively.

The Human Rights Campaign rates employers based on their CEI, Corporate Equality Index, and Bama was one of the companies that exceeded those expectations by achieving an 85 percent CEI rate for 2017. This means that the company takes diversity and discrimination very seriously and addresses those concerns when they arise.

Many places throughout the nation, let alone in Oklahoma, offer coverage for transition surgery and transgender healthcare through the employer.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, zero percent of Fortune 500 companies provided transgender-inclusive benefits for employees and dependents in 2004. That percentage has risen to twenty-eight since then, but it is still a long shot away from equality.

Bama is among a pioneering force in Bible-belt America to provide equal and quality healthcare for the transgender community. Their philosophy of inclusion should send a message to the entire state of Oklahoma that human rights, healthcare and a safe work place should be a priority for every business.
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Copyright 2017 The Gayly - 1/19/11 @ 9:29 a.m.