Several prominent Oklahomans are contributors to a new project by filmmaker Ken Burns that aims to bring Americans together by celebrating where they grew up.
Burns describes Honor Your Hometown as "a non-partisan, non-profit initiative [that] encourages all Americans to join this important effort to celebrate hometowns across the nation to help foster greater national unity."
The project launched Tuesday with more than 150 videos, including several from notable Oklahomans.
"The best place to grow up in the whole world is Yukon, Oklahoma," said country music star Garth Brooks.
"We were a bedroom community to Oklahoma City, so even though we were a small town we still had all the essentials," Brooks said. "But what I loved about it was you were one of five or six — when I think of Mustang, El Reno, Piedmont, all these little towns, you'd play each other in sports and you'd talk about community."
"My hometown, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is brilliant," said performer Kristin Chenoweth.
"We have red dirt, but we've got good ice cream and we've got good food and we've got good people. And we've got lots of God-fearing people, too, that, you know, are just welcoming," Chenoweth said.
"I get to have my dream job of being mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma," said G.T. Bynum. "Tulsa is my hometown and I've wanted to be mayor since I was about eight years old.
"I think that being mayor of your hometown is the best job in elected office. There are a lot of jobs that people think are higher up on the political ladder, but when it comes down to it, being mayor of your hometown gives you, every day, a chance to make a positive impact in the lives of people that you love, and I love the people here in Tulsa."
Burns is asking everyday Americans to participate by sharing short videos of themselves talking about their own hometowns on social media using the hashtag #HonorYourHometown.
