OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Asian Affairs Commission June Meeting - June 2, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, June 2, 2026
BodyTulsa, Oklahoma
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 43:07
Transcript — Verbatim
0:14

All right, welcome to the June meeting of the Asian Affairs Commission.

0:18

Thank you all for being here.

0:19

Happy summer.

0:20

Um, I will be calling us to order today in Chairwoman Gilpin's absence.

0:26

Let's start by reviewing last month's meeting minutes or approval.

0:29

And when you're ready, if someone could make the motion.

0:41

And also, I know not all of us were here, so if you have questions about last month, feel free to bring that up too.

1:37

Is there a second?

1:39

Thank you.

1:41

All in favor?

1:43

Any opposed?

1:46

And if you need us to help you out with who's giving what, let us know.

1:51

Okay, please.

1:52

Yes, but I've got that motion is by TV and segment by Anna.

1:57

Amazing.

1:58

Um, okay, let's get into the Vice Share report.

2:01

We have quite a few updates.

2:03

I mean, on a personal note this weekend, I was able to get on a WhatsApp call with my family in Iran.

2:09

They got internet back for the first time in three months.

2:12

And it was so happy.

2:13

The first thing my aunt did was ask where my cat was.

2:18

It reminded me that something special about this commission is we all have ties to communities and families and um maybe places that our connections to can vary and ebb and flow, and so that's something I'm bringing into this meeting is like my community and the appreciation for chances to be together.

2:38

So excited to be with you today.

2:40

First, on my vice chair report is the human rights commission liaison.

2:44

So at our last meeting, uh, I became the slated person for the chair of the Asian Affairs Commission, and currently as vice chair, I'm serving as the Asian Affairs Commission liaison to the Human Rights Commission.

2:57

That is a separate commission appointment.

2:59

So I had to go in front of city council and be approved to the human rights commission, but it's just in a seat that is for our commission specifically.

3:07

Um given that I'm stepping into this chair role.

3:11

It is best practice that someone should not be the chair of the commission and the liaison.

3:15

So I wanted to just share a little bit about what that liaison does so that in August we can have someone slated from our commission to be voted into that role.

3:24

I know that uh at our last meeting we had some hesitance to take new things on.

3:28

So I wanted to give us a chance to really learn about what that rule means because they do think it's very meaningful and aligned to what a lot of people on this commission care about.

3:36

There's some folks who aren't here today, and I'll be sure to share about it with them too.

3:39

But the Human Rights Commission is the one Title V Commission that has membership from all the other Title V commissions.

3:46

So it's a really special group that includes some at-large members and then one representative from each Title V Commission.

3:53

And the main thing they're responsible for is that the city of Tulsa has a human rights um, like a promise for human rights to its citizens when it comes to those who it contracts with, public spaces, and access.

4:06

And the human rights commission helps support any complaints that go to the city and help uh the office who is over those complaints.

4:16

Make sure that they're being dealt with in a manner that we want for our city.

4:20

So, some examples of the things the human rights commission is working on as a commission.

4:24

One of them is making that human rights complaint process more accessible.

4:27

In the past, you had to like physically come to City Hall to turn that in, which we know is not always accessible to people who are working or have transportation issues.

4:35

So they're working to take that online, and the HRC has worked really closely with them on that.

4:40

The second project they're working on is actually tied to one of the equality indicators about diverse representation on all the ABCs, and that is something that I've been working really closely on and care about that you wouldn't have to take on is the Asian Affairs Commission, but just some examples of the stuff they do that touches all types of commission work.

5:00

So if that is interesting for you, there's a few opportunities you have to learn more.

5:06

In June, the Human Rights Commission meeting takes place on the third Monday, I believe, so it'll be in two weeks on a Monday, and I'll send out information about where that is.

5:15

Even if you're like, I do not want this position, it's an interesting meeting to come attend and just kind of see what the conversations across commission look like.

5:23

You'll also get a chance to meet some of the human rights commissioners at our Title V retreat in July and hear more about their work in the presentations.

5:31

Again, it is a second commission appointment, so the main commitment would be like one additional commission meeting a month, and in terms of what you do on behalf of the Asian Affairs Commission, a lot of it is just sharing updates from our commission, bringing updates back and being a liaison there.

5:48

So I'll share more information about that in our follow-up email.

5:53

The second thing I want to share, is that I mentioned in July there's the Title V retreat.

6:01

We do not have an Asian Affairs Commission meeting in July, it's an off week or an off-month for Title V commissions.

6:07

But on July 24th from 8:30 to 2:30, you should have gotten a calendar invite from Lexi for the Title V retreat.

6:14

Can you raise your hand if you went to that last year?

6:18

Any endorsements of how cool and fun it was that you want to share at the table, um, I liked it because you got to see the other commit uh title five commissions.

6:29

Their issues were always kind of resolved by talking to other commissions, like, oh, you had a funding issue, I know how to deal with that, oh you did this, I know how to deal with that.

6:40

So it's like we all were um kind of like a mind of the meeting we kind of figured out by working together that we all had each other's answers.

6:50

Yeah, so thank you in that.

6:52

Anyone else an encouragement to go?

6:55

There were different offices within the city that um did a presentation and shared resources, which I thought was very helpful.

7:03

Yeah, super helpful to know what the rest of the city does and what is available to connect our citizens to.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Racial Equity██████████████16%
Procedural███████████12%
Workforce Development████████9%
Youth Programs██████7%
Economic Development████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Asian Affairs Commission June Meeting – June 2, 2026

The Asian Affairs Commission held its regular June meeting on June 2, 2026, at 6:15 p.m. Vice Chair Patty Satilavac called the meeting to order in the absence of Chairwoman Sarah Gilpin. Commissioners reviewed and approved the previous month’s minutes, conducted a vote on the 2026 officer slate, received committee reports, and heard public comments from community organizations. The meeting concluded with a discussion on strategic planning and community engagement.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: The minutes from the May meeting were approved unanimously (motion by TV, second by Anna).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Ethan (Body President, Tulsa Asian Collective): Announced the launch of the newly formed Oklahoma nonprofit, Tulsa Asian Collective, which is pursuing 501(c)(3) status. Reported the success of their first public programming – a community picnic that drew nearly 200 attendees, far exceeding the expected 50–100. Almost 100 new subscribers joined their email list. Expressed interest in collaboration with the commission.
  • Hugh (Founder, Empower Aid): Promoted a free summer academy running June 8 to July 17, 2025, focusing on literacy, math, and field trips. Highlighted the importance of youth exposure and raised the need for the commission to improve language accessibility and marketing to better reach non-English-speaking Asian communities.
  • Commissioner (unidentified): Noted community members’ requests for information about the commission’s role, particularly regarding mental health support and language access. Suggested connecting with youth cabinets and student alliances at local universities.

Discussion Items

  • Vice Chair Report (Patty Satilavac):
    • Outlined her role as the Commission’s liaison to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and announced an open liaison position for August. Described HRC’s work on making the human rights complaint process more accessible (e.g., online intake) and advancing equality indicators for diverse board representation.
    • Reminded commissioners of the Title V retreat on July 24, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (calendar invite sent by Lexi). Encouraged attendance to network with other commissions and city offices.
    • Announced plans for one-on-one (or small group) meetings with commissioners over the summer to understand individual interests and capacity.
    • Honored outgoing commissioners Sophia Noche and Yi Zhang, as well as Chairwoman Sarah Gilpin (absent due to a new role), for their service.
  • 2026 Officer Slate Vote:
    • Slate presented: Chair – Patty Satilavac; Vice Chair – Cecilia Wynne; Workforce and Education Committee Chair – Masoud Classem; Data and Research Committee Chair – Patty Satilavac; Cultural Hubs and Community Advocacy – Cecilia Wynne; Cultural Event (open position).
    • Motion to vote on the slate as a block passed unanimously.
  • Committee Reports:
    • Cultural Hubs and Community Advocacy (Cecilia Wynne):
      • Reported 10 tabling events from May 2025 to May 2026, including the Eve celebration, two Asian American night markets, Global Gatherings (Japanese culture focus), and the Union Cultural Showcase.
      • Hosted the inaugural Tulsa Asia Fest, leading to 115 new listserv sign-ups. Total listserv now at 263.
      • Launched the Leadership Roundtable initiative with two sessions: an orientation call and an in-person session focused on leadership and cultural identity (including discussions on the model minority myth). 8 of 12 participants attended; next session on data and research is scheduled for July 30, 2026, at Leadership Tulsa.
    • Workforce and Education (Masoud Classem):
      • Committee has developed scholarship forms and applications but is shifting focus to engaging community leaders and educators. Plans to invite community leaders to share stories and visions at upcoming meetings to inform sustainable programming.
    • Data and Research (Patty Satilavac):
      • Working to update the commission’s one-pager data to include multiracial Asians and Pacific Islanders, noting that current Census-based data excludes multiracial individuals.
      • Highlighted concerning equality indicator trends: between 2017 and 2024, Asian Tulsans declined in business ownership (from top-performing to below the comparison group) and in chronic absenteeism (from least absent to below the lowest group). Investigating whether the change is due to data methodology or actual community shifts.
    • Cultural Events: No chairperson; the commission voted at a prior meeting to take a strategic pause for the coming year. The leadership team will explore options and gather commissioner input over the summer.
  • General Discussion:
    • Commissioners and public speakers discussed challenges in marketing the commission to diverse Asian-language communities, the need for translated materials, and potential partnerships with youth groups and mental health initiatives.
    • The incoming chair emphasized a desire to avoid burnout by focusing on one or two high-impact initiatives that align with commissioner passions and community gaps (e.g., supporting the creation of an Asian chamber of commerce, increasing Pacific Islander representation).

Key Outcomes

  • Officer Slate Approved Unanimously: The 2026 leadership team is Patty Satilavac (Chair), Cecilia Wynne (Vice Chair), Masoud Classem (Workforce and Education Chair), and Patty Satilavac (Data and Research Chair). Cultural Hubs and Community Advocacy remains with Cecilia Wynne; the Cultural Event position is left open.
  • Recognition of Outgoing Members: Commissioners thanked Sophia Noche, Yi Zhang, and Sarah Gilpin for their contributions. The Chair will work with the Mayor’s Office to fill the two at-large seats and the Indian seat (for one of Tulsa’s three largest Asian populations).
  • Continued Strategic Planning: The leadership team will conduct summer check-ins with each commissioner to assess interests and shape the work plan for the next year. Feedback will inform the upcoming strategic plan.
  • Data Updates Pending: The Data and Research Committee will present revised demographic data (including multiracial figures) and deeper analysis of equality indicator trends at the August meeting.
  • Community Engagement: The commission will explore formalizing a process to recognize long-standing Asian-owned businesses and consider partnering with the Tulsa Asian Collective and Empower Aid on outreach and youth programming.

Meeting Transcript

All right, welcome to the June meeting of the Asian Affairs Commission. Thank you all for being here. Happy summer. Um, I will be calling us to order today in Chairwoman Gilpin's absence. Let's start by reviewing last month's meeting minutes or approval. And when you're ready, if someone could make the motion. And also, I know not all of us were here, so if you have questions about last month, feel free to bring that up too. Is there a second? Thank you. All in favor? Any opposed? And if you need us to help you out with who's giving what, let us know. Okay, please. Yes, but I've got that motion is by TV and segment by Anna. Amazing. Um, okay, let's get into the Vice Share report. We have quite a few updates. I mean, on a personal note this weekend, I was able to get on a WhatsApp call with my family in Iran. They got internet back for the first time in three months. And it was so happy. The first thing my aunt did was ask where my cat was. It reminded me that something special about this commission is we all have ties to communities and families and um maybe places that our connections to can vary and ebb and flow, and so that's something I'm bringing into this meeting is like my community and the appreciation for chances to be together. So excited to be with you today. First, on my vice chair report is the human rights commission liaison. So at our last meeting, uh, I became the slated person for the chair of the Asian Affairs Commission, and currently as vice chair, I'm serving as the Asian Affairs Commission liaison to the Human Rights Commission. That is a separate commission appointment. So I had to go in front of city council and be approved to the human rights commission, but it's just in a seat that is for our commission specifically. Um given that I'm stepping into this chair role. It is best practice that someone should not be the chair of the commission and the liaison. So I wanted to just share a little bit about what that liaison does so that in August we can have someone slated from our commission to be voted into that role. I know that uh at our last meeting we had some hesitance to take new things on. So I wanted to give us a chance to really learn about what that rule means because they do think it's very meaningful and aligned to what a lot of people on this commission care about. There's some folks who aren't here today, and I'll be sure to share about it with them too. But the Human Rights Commission is the one Title V Commission that has membership from all the other Title V commissions. So it's a really special group that includes some at-large members and then one representative from each Title V Commission. And the main thing they're responsible for is that the city of Tulsa has a human rights um, like a promise for human rights to its citizens when it comes to those who it contracts with, public spaces, and access. And the human rights commission helps support any complaints that go to the city and help uh the office who is over those complaints. Make sure that they're being dealt with in a manner that we want for our city. So, some examples of the things the human rights commission is working on as a commission. One of them is making that human rights complaint process more accessible. In the past, you had to like physically come to City Hall to turn that in, which we know is not always accessible to people who are working or have transportation issues. So they're working to take that online, and the HRC has worked really closely with them on that. The second project they're working on is actually tied to one of the equality indicators about diverse representation on all the ABCs, and that is something that I've been working really closely on and care about that you wouldn't have to take on is the Asian Affairs Commission, but just some examples of the stuff they do that touches all types of commission work. So if that is interesting for you, there's a few opportunities you have to learn more. In June, the Human Rights Commission meeting takes place on the third Monday, I believe, so it'll be in two weeks on a Monday, and I'll send out information about where that is. Even if you're like, I do not want this position, it's an interesting meeting to come attend and just kind of see what the conversations across commission look like. You'll also get a chance to meet some of the human rights commissioners at our Title V retreat in July and hear more about their work in the presentations. Again, it is a second commission appointment, so the main commitment would be like one additional commission meeting a month, and in terms of what you do on behalf of the Asian Affairs Commission, a lot of it is just sharing updates from our commission, bringing updates back and being a liaison there. So I'll share more information about that in our follow-up email. The second thing I want to share, is that I mentioned in July there's the Title V retreat.

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