As we honor dads this month, we spoke with local dad and new OKC Ward 7 City Council member Camal Pennington, and his wife, Torie Luster Pennington, president of the Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers. They shared their experience of running for office while raising young kids. They also discussed their work with the It’s My Community Initiative (IMCI), where Camal is executive director, and highlighted how families can drive change in their community. IMCI’s True Dads program is just one way they’re fostering strong families and communities.
MetroFamily’s Community Leader series highlights prominent community leaders across various sectors in Oklahoma City. Focused on topics pertinent to parents and families, each installment provides insights and perspectives from those shaping our community.
How did you each first become interested in civic engagement and what sparked your passion to get involved?
Camal: My whole life of service starts with my mom being a teacher. My mom believed that it’s up to us to make our communities better. She put that belief into every student she taught, and she modeled that in the way that we, as a family, operated. All through high school, into law school and now I’ve always taken on whatever opportunity I have to serve.
Torie: What started my public service work was the Oklahoma teacher walkout in 2018. Being a teacher at the time, it showed that we can make a difference.
What was running for political office like for you individually and as a family?
Camal: The campaign was a humbling experience. It’s hard to go to a stranger’s home and ask them to talk about the problems they see in their community. You take on a lot of people’s pain and hurt and fear. But you also get to hear their hope for the community and their children’s future. The fact that they’re entrusting you with it means so much.
Torie: We are so lucky that we have a very supportive family who took care of things like making meals for long campaign days. Their support meant we could spend more time in the community, listening and engaging. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. It did make us even closer as a family.
Camal: I agree, and I still get emotional about the amount of love and support we had and continue to have from our family. It wouldn’t have been possible without them stepping into every single gap that happened because of our time campaigning.
How do you balance your professional work, public service and family?
Torie: What we do in our public service naturally makes sense for our jobs. Even when it comes to politics. We don’t struggle with it as much because we’re involved in the things that we’re most passionate about. And we are very fortunate to have jobs that align with those passions. It really just gels together.
How can individuals and families make a difference in their community?
1. Find out what’s happening in your community and jump in to share the load.
Camal: Get to know about the public commissions and committees that impact your community and become a part of them. Think about your neighborhood association even and how important it is to feel safe in your community. One hour a month can make a difference.
2. Make small, meaningful contributions
Torie: Something that we really want to encourage is for people to advocate for themselves and their community. Start small. You don’t have to throw yourself into everything. Just pick what you are passionate about and connect with others who share that passion.
Camal: Pick the thing that worries you the most and find out how you can impact that one thing. For example, I feel very strongly about how kids spend their time after school. I know how impactful access to meaningful extracurricular activities was for me. So, I do things that support programs that create opportunities for kids to have productive after-school activities.
Pick your one thing. If you feel very strongly about healthy food, donate some healthy food to your kid’s class. If you feel strongly about the environment, adopt the street in front of your kid’s school and clean and maintain it together. All it takes is an hour to do one thing that’s impactful and leads to a positive outcome in the long run.
3. Lead by example
Camal: My mom was somebody who volunteered for everything. I had a front row seat to that. I think it’s so important to make sure that your family, your children understand what you’re doing. I want our daughters to understand the importance of service; of why we’re doing this.
Torie: We brought the kids along to a lot of activities and events during the campaign.
What is the It’s My Community Initiative (IMCI) and how does it serve families and communities?
Our mission is to strengthen communities by building strong, healthy families.
- Our True Dads program is focused on building healthy parents, partners and providers. True Dads involves not only a dad but also a co-parent. That could be the mother of the child, the mother of the dad, even a new romantic partner. It’s all about the fact that it takes a community of people to surround a child and support them.
- Our evidence-based afterschool program works with Douglas, Star Spencer and John Marshall High School. We emphasize how to have healthy relationships, teach leadership skills, and workforce development, so people are being intentional about the choices they’re making.
How can others become involved in the work that IMCI is doing?
For our True Dads program, we’re always looking for community partners to help our dads and co-parents reach their overall goals for a healthy family. We’re also looking to serve more dads. If you are a dad who wants to be involved in our program, we would love to have you.
The needs are similar for our youth program. We’re looking for partners to come in and talk to our students about their careers, for example. We’re also looking for field trip opportunities to take our kids out of their community and into places where they can learn about and experience things that they otherwise would not be exposed to.
Go on our website. If there’s something that you’re passionate about and want to be involved in, please do it.
Family Activities and Bonding
Favorite home activities: We play video games and board games. We also enjoy spending time with family. Most of our extended family lives within a five-mile radius. It’s very easy to find things to do together.
Favorite OKC metro activities: We love being outside. We really like going to our neighborhood park, but also to Myriad Gardens or Scissortail Park. In those rare moments when there isn’t a banquet, a town hall meeting or other event, we love going to the movies or going out to eat in the Plaza District and Paseo Arts District.
