Mark your calendar, Tulsa. The Year of the Snake is coming and it’s going to be big. Also colorful, festive, delicious and entertaining. The Lunar New Year will be celebrated for the first time as part of a new city commission’s initiative to celebrate Tulsa’s diversity.

Not all that long ago, the thought of local Asian American presence perhaps summoned only the image of a couple of Chinese and Thai restaurants. Now, with a progressive leap, the city is home to representatives of more than 26 Asian countries, comprising 14,000 people.

This fast-growing ethnic community grew 56% from 2010-2020, says Krystal Reyes, chief resilience officer who oversees the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Equity, and now constitutes about 4% of Tulsa’s population. It spawned a new Asian Affairs Commission proposed by Mayor G.T. Bynum in August 2023 and which held its first meeting in January. The commission set goals to promote cultural awareness, gather data and strengthen employment opportunities.

“We’re focusing on the needs, gaps and opportunities within the Asian community,” says Commission Chair Sarah Gilpin, Williams communication specialist.

In operation less than a year, its research revealed: 

A high rate of absenteeism in Asian student populations in Tulsa Public Schools. “We’re working to determine why,” Gilpin says. “Is it transportation issues? Family obligations?”

The sizeable Afghan refugee population has been underrepresented within the Asian community. Consequently, many of the commissioners connected with hundreds of Muslim families at the Eid al-Fitr festival celebrating the end of Ramadan fasting. “The Union Multipurpose Activity Center was filled to capacity,” Gilpin says.

The large Hmong population — a culture without a formal country — is not fully accounted for in Tulsa’s Asian numbers because many live in regions outside of Tulsa County where farmland is plentiful. Thousands of people come from Oklahoma and surrounding states for the Hmongs new year festival in October.

Where do Tulsa’s immigrants come from? And why are they coming to Tulsa? 

“It’s part of a national trend,” Reyes says. “(It’s) endorsed by the U.S. State Department’s refugee and resettlement program, and Tulsa is a (certified) Welcoming City.” This designation is given to cities helping immigrants and refugees thrive. Burmese and Vietnamese refugees began arriving several decades ago; newcomers include those from the Marshall Islands and Afghanistan. 

Several Tulsa nonprofits and faith organizations are instrumental in successfully integrating refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers, notably Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, Congregation B’Nai Emunah, First Baptist Church’s Rising Village and Tulsa’s YWCA Immigrant and Refugee Program.  

The Elevate East business incubator project is a public/private partnership of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, City of Tulsa and Tulsa County for the businesses and entrepreneurs of the Global District near 21st Street and Garnett Road. “It will revitalize east Tulsa,” Gilpin says. 

The Asian Affairs Commission is one of the newest of seven (the Beyond Apology Commission held its first meeting in October) equal opportunity commissions appointed by the mayor to represent and advocate for women, Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans and human rights in Tulsa. The commission meets the first Tuesday of each month (except July and December) at noon at City Hall. Commission members are Meg Chang, Sarah Gilpin, Ha Huynh, Masood Kasim, Athan Lau, Hieu Le, Bee Paredes, Parisa Pilehvar, Anna Thao, Vivian Wang, Yi Zhang, Tina Tran and Cecilia Nguyen.