OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Human Rights Commission Regular Meeting – June 15, 2026

City Council — Monday, June 15, 2026
BodyTulsa, Oklahoma
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, June 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 44:06
Transcript — Verbatim
0:13

Okay, thank you.

0:17

Alright, I'm gonna call this meeting to order.

0:20

This is the June 26 regular meeting of the Human Rights Commission of the City of Tulsa, and we do have a quorum.

0:26

Uh we do not have a presentation from Compassionate Tulsa today, but we'll be revisiting that topic later in the agenda.

0:32

The first item on the agenda of action here is to consider the prior meeting minutes for approval.

0:38

You were provided a copy of the May 26 regular meeting minutes for advanced review.

0:43

Is there any discussion and/or corrections?

0:52

No.

0:53

Do you have a motion to approve?

0:56

I have a motion to have a second.

0:58

Second.

0:58

Alright, motion second.

1:00

All those in favor of approving the May 26 regular meeting minutes say aye.

1:04

Aye.

1:04

Any opposed say nay.

1:06

Alright, the motion carries.

1:08

The next item on the agenda is to appoint uh review committee chair for the humanitarian of the year award.

1:18

I think we are heading into the fourth or fifth, is it the fifth?

1:22

Gosh, the fourth or fifth year of the Humanitarian of the Year Awards where we honor a Tulson who has gone above and beyond to really improve their community through the advancement of human rights.

1:32

It's been a great celebration late every year.

1:35

And this year will be no different.

1:37

But to get to that point, we need to establish an ad hoc committee of just a handful of people.

1:42

I would like to remain on that committee, but I need someone to chair that.

1:46

I think we probably want to get maybe an odd number, maybe three total.

1:50

Um, and there will be some other opportunities for involvement later in the meeting if this is not your jam.

1:54

Uh, there might be something else later that does interest you.

1:56

But is there anyone that has any questions or would you anyone have any interest in ultimately what you'd be doing is reviewing the nominations uh for humanitarian of the year, helping make a selection, contacting the winner, and then ideally participate in the event planning uh for the humanitarian of the year ward in typically December.

2:13

Is that of interest to anyone on the commission?

2:17

I'll do I have one interested party.

2:21

Uh would you like to chair?

2:24

That committee.

2:26

I can help.

2:28

Okay, two.

2:29

I have Whitney and Katie.

2:31

Anyone else want to throw their hat in the ring?

2:34

Come on, it'll be a party.

2:35

I'll hold.

2:36

I don't want to chair it, but I'll definitely support.

2:39

Is this a voting issue, or do we just do I just get a pick?

2:42

You get to just pick people.

2:44

Oh, good thing we've there.

2:47

Okay, so Katie Casey and and Whitney have all uh been interested in uh joining the humanitarian of the year selection process, uh, and that is my choice for for that committee.

2:57

It is uh oddly that I've been the one most associated with it, is near and dear to my heart.

3:02

I got it by accident, but it is important to me that we uh do the best we can to honor folks and uh we can meet about that separately, but I appreciate your interest in helping continue that great uh award ceremony.

3:14

Next on the agenda is the uh chair report.

3:21

Looks like already gone out of order.

3:23

Um it's been a busy month, but most of the updates are actually gonna come later when we discuss the Human Rights Commission's goals and projects.

3:31

I will tell you in case you missed it like late last week.

3:35

The Tulsa Equity Indicators Annual Report for 2025 was released.

3:40

It does show overall improvements but also continued struggles in certain areas.

3:45

Uh, that report, as many of you know, is a snapshot of 54 indicators to measure inequalities in six areas.

3:51

Those areas are education, economic opportunity, housing, public health, services, and justice.

3:58

Uh, each indicator is scored on a scale from one to a hundred, with one being a high level of inequality, one hundred being a high level of equality.

4:06

Uh, the city's overall score for 2025 was 44 and a half.

4:10

That's out of 100, and that is a nearly six-point increase since the base year of 2018, and a over one-point increase since last year's report.

4:19

Of those six themes, the city saw improvements in the past year in education, housing and services.

4:25

It saw declines in equality scores in economic opportunity, public health, and justice.

4:31

And that is an unfair sort of summary of the entirety of the lengthy report.

4:35

I do encourage you, if you're interested, to go back to the Tulsa World article on the 12th of June.

4:41

They did a really nice job of summarizing the mayor's comments and going sort of across some of the items and really pointing out uh some of the stark changes that have happened, both positive and negative over the last several years, to really highlight areas that our community needs to focus on to build a better community.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Racial Equity███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Community Engagement██████████████████████████████████34%
Technology and Innovation█████████████13%
Procedural██████████10%
Summary of Proceedings

Human Rights Commission Regular Meeting – June 15, 2026

Note: The transcript references this as the June 26 meeting, but the provided metadata indicates the meeting took place on June 15, 2026. This summary uses the June 15 date as instructed.

The Human Rights Commission of the City of Tulsa held its regular meeting on June 15, 2026. The commission approved prior meeting minutes, appointed a committee for the Humanitarian of the Year award, discussed the 2025 Tulsa Equity Indicators Annual Report, and received updates on two major initiatives: modernizing the human rights complaint process and increasing representation on city authorities, boards, and commissions (ABCs). Several commissioners provided committee reports, and the meeting concluded with announcements about upcoming events.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The May 26, 2026 regular meeting minutes were approved by unanimous voice vote (all ayes, no nays).

Discussion Items

  • Humanitarian of the Year Award Committee: Chair France formed an ad hoc committee to review nominations and plan the award ceremony in December. Commissioners Katie Casey and Whitney volunteered; Chair France will also remain on the committee. A chair was not explicitly named but will be selected internally.

  • Chair Report – Tulsa Equity Indicators 2025: Chair Drew summarized the annual report, noting an overall score of 44.5 out of 100 (up from 38.5 in 2018 and a 1-point increase from 2024). Improvements were seen in education, housing, and services; declines occurred in economic opportunity, public health, and justice. Commissioner Whitney highlighted methodological quirks (e.g., a score of 100 for Asian chronic absenteeism and small business ownership reflects gap closure, not overall wellness). Commissioner Edwards urged incorporating the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index and suggested adding LGBTQ+ indicators. Commissioner Walker asked about the process for adding new indicators; Lexi (staff) recommended contacting DeAntree and noted a July 7 launch event at Tulsa Area United Way where public input on indicators will be solicited. Chair Drew also mentioned attending the Mayor's community conversation in North Tulsa and encouraged participation in future events.

  • HRC Goal Updates:

    • Modernizing the Complaint Process (Goal 1): Commissioner Drew reported meeting with Black Tech Street and Microsoft to explore technology solutions. Additionally, Councilor Gilbert is drafting an ordinance amendment to remove the requirement to file complaints with the city clerk, enabling online filing via 311. The first reading is expected at the next city council meeting (week of June 15). The aim is to reduce barriers and increase complaint filings.
    • Increasing ABC Representation (Goal 2): Commissioner Pilovar updated that after memos and data sharing, Councilor Dutton (District 3) invited the commission to present at the June 24 city council meeting. Councilor Dutton attended and spoke about the need for better representation, especially for bilingual outreach. Chair Drew noted the commission's role in using data to facilitate conversations.

  • Compassionate Tulsa Succession: Commissioner Walker (serving 13 years) requested a liaison to take over the Compassionate Tulsa initiative, which she has led. She seeks a successor to ensure continuity.

  • Fair Housing Committee: Reported creation of a flyer on support animals to assist tenants and landlords. Also planning a fair housing summit in partnership with Life Senior Services, focusing on aging populations.

  • Women's Commission Presentation: Commissioner Edwards reported on her presentation at the Leadership Tulsa Women's Summit, covering pay equity and childcare access, and encouraging attendance at Title V commissions.

  • Asian Affairs Commission Update: Commissioner Whitney announced she will step into the chair role in August and thus this may be her last meeting on the HRC. She is identifying a replacement.

  • Commissioner Departures: Commissioner Edwards also announced she is stepping off due to scheduling conflicts; she shared that the Women's Commission has interested candidates to join.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Approve Minutes: Carried unanimously.
  • Humanitarian of the Year Committee: Formed with Katie Casey and Whitney; no formal vote taken (appointment by chair).
  • Complaint Process Modernization: Councilor Gilbert's ordinance will have first reading next week; commission will attend in support.
  • ABC Representation: Presentation to city council scheduled for June 24, 2026.
  • Compassionate Tulsa: Call for volunteers to become liaison.
  • Fair Housing Flyer: Approved for distribution.

Announcements

  • PRISM launch party for LGBTQ+ youth on June 27 at Tulsa PAC.
  • Pub Club Commission event on July 21 at Nothing's Left Brewing to recruit for ABCs.
  • Title V and Beyond Apology Commission retreat on July 24.
  • Interns from UNC Chapel Hill (working with Department of Resilience and Equity) introduced themselves.

There were no public comments from non-members.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, thank you. Alright, I'm gonna call this meeting to order. This is the June 26 regular meeting of the Human Rights Commission of the City of Tulsa, and we do have a quorum. Uh we do not have a presentation from Compassionate Tulsa today, but we'll be revisiting that topic later in the agenda. The first item on the agenda of action here is to consider the prior meeting minutes for approval. You were provided a copy of the May 26 regular meeting minutes for advanced review. Is there any discussion and/or corrections? No. Do you have a motion to approve? I have a motion to have a second. Second. Alright, motion second. All those in favor of approving the May 26 regular meeting minutes say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Alright, the motion carries. The next item on the agenda is to appoint uh review committee chair for the humanitarian of the year award. I think we are heading into the fourth or fifth, is it the fifth? Gosh, the fourth or fifth year of the Humanitarian of the Year Awards where we honor a Tulson who has gone above and beyond to really improve their community through the advancement of human rights. It's been a great celebration late every year. And this year will be no different. But to get to that point, we need to establish an ad hoc committee of just a handful of people. I would like to remain on that committee, but I need someone to chair that. I think we probably want to get maybe an odd number, maybe three total. Um, and there will be some other opportunities for involvement later in the meeting if this is not your jam. Uh, there might be something else later that does interest you. But is there anyone that has any questions or would you anyone have any interest in ultimately what you'd be doing is reviewing the nominations uh for humanitarian of the year, helping make a selection, contacting the winner, and then ideally participate in the event planning uh for the humanitarian of the year ward in typically December. Is that of interest to anyone on the commission? I'll do I have one interested party. Uh would you like to chair? That committee. I can help. Okay, two. I have Whitney and Katie. Anyone else want to throw their hat in the ring? Come on, it'll be a party. I'll hold. I don't want to chair it, but I'll definitely support. Is this a voting issue, or do we just do I just get a pick? You get to just pick people. Oh, good thing we've there. Okay, so Katie Casey and and Whitney have all uh been interested in uh joining the humanitarian of the year selection process, uh, and that is my choice for for that committee. It is uh oddly that I've been the one most associated with it, is near and dear to my heart. I got it by accident, but it is important to me that we uh do the best we can to honor folks and uh we can meet about that separately, but I appreciate your interest in helping continue that great uh award ceremony. Next on the agenda is the uh chair report. Looks like already gone out of order. Um it's been a busy month, but most of the updates are actually gonna come later when we discuss the Human Rights Commission's goals and projects. I will tell you in case you missed it like late last week. The Tulsa Equity Indicators Annual Report for 2025 was released. It does show overall improvements but also continued struggles in certain areas.

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