Veronica Laizure received her Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature after graduating magna cum laude from Hendrix College in Conway, AR. After earning a juris doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and being admitted to practice in Oklahoma, Veronica joined CAIR Oklahoma as Staff Attorney in 2014 and then expanded her role to Civil Rights Director, culminating in her appointment to Deputy Director in 2022. In her time with the Civil Rights Department, Veronica has served hundreds of clients who experienced religious discrimination and harassment and educated thousands of Oklahoma Muslims on how to secure their own civil rights, establishing CAIR Oklahoma as a leader in the social justice movement in Oklahoma. Her commentary on religious freedom, civil rights policy, and community advocacy has been published in dozens of local, state, and national outlets, and she is a frequent public speaker for schools, agencies, organizations, media, and more.
Veronica is proud to serve as President of the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Oklahoma, in addition to serving on the board of the Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation and the Asian Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence. She also activated the state’s largest legal observer program to protect those exercising their First Amendment rights, which began in 2020 and continues to support local protests and demonstrations. She is honored to serve the Muslim community of Oklahoma and to build bridges of tolerance, justice, and mutual understanding in the state that she calls home.