As the year draws to a close, we wanted to bring a few highlights back into your news digest. Take this as our way of saying thank you for reading along with us — and supporting our newsroom as we look toward 2026. Welcome to Tulsa Flyer’s Holiday Replay.
Each month, the Flyer highlights the unsung heroes on Tulsa’s eastside in a series called “Heart of East Tulsa.” Here’s a look at our first three.
VNICE World has left a literal mark on east Tulsa. His art can be found in the Highway 169 underpass at East 21st Street and on the sides of the Elevate East building near 21st and Garnett.
“Who better to do it than somebody that’s part of the community, you know, just down the street,” he said. “I grew up right here on Garnett. This is basically my second home.”
Stephanie Rodriguez grew up in east Tulsa, translating for her parents who didn’t speak English. Today, as Tulsa City-County Library’s newest Hispanic Resource Center coordinator, she sees children at Tulsa’s Martin Regional Library doing the same.
Now she hopes to expand the center’s collection and connection with Tulsa’s growing Latino community.
On the other hand, there are an increasing number of non-native Tulsans trying to make an impact in the city. Onyx Montes hopes to teach other women to learn how to use their voice.
In August, she launched Tulsa Girl Power workshops to empower women in spaces they’re typically not considered — especially male-dominated fields, such as the automotive industry.
These are the first of many stories of untold heroes in the Latino community we hope to tell. If you know someone we should highlight in east Tulsa, email angelica@tulsaflyer.org.
These articles were produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma.
News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
