The assembly of Tulsa Asian Collective’s executive team was like the formation of a league of community champions. Conversations and connections that began developing years ago — long before the success of the 10,000-person-attended Tulsa Asia Fest in January — culminated with a “one-stop shop for all things Asian” in the region.
Tulsa Asian Collective is a newly launched organization aiming to provide resources, events and eventually grant funding for Tulsa’s Asian community. Similar efforts have come and gone, but a moment of unprecedented momentum arose. The question now: Who will carry the baton?
Athan Lau, president of Tulsa Asian Collective, is hoping his team of five can use their pull in the community and new roles at the collective to create something that’ll last a long time.
“Our mission is to strengthen Tulsa’s diverse Asian communities through cultural connection, creative collaboration and community development,” said Lau, who helped organize the festival earlier this year. “So, you can think of us as being like the hub in Tulsa where Asian culture and community thrive.”
Cultural connection
Lau and Sultana Xiong, Tulsa Asian Collective vice president and director of marketing, began brainstorming the group more than two years ago. Both are deeply plugged into Tulsa’s Asian community, with Lau formerly serving as a city Asian Affairs commissioner and Xiong a Tulsa-based Hmong social media influencer.
Because of their experience, sustainability is at the forefront of their minds. Small organizations fizzled out in the past, Xiong says, leaving behind no overarching point of contact to push Asian events, grant funding and developments through.
“We want to (have) friendships, real connections with these organization community leaders, to where if they have a need, or etc., we can help in those aspects,” Xiong said.
She imagines monthly social media posts about the happenings in different Asian communities or education materials to catch local businesses up to speed in branding and marketing. Xiong says she wants to create something that “really is for the people.”
So using his own connections, Lau assembled the executive team. They hosted their first event, a picnic, which attracted more than 200 people. It’s clear Tulsa craves Asian events, Xiong says.
Creative collaboration
Innovation experience was essential, Lau says. He met Manut Buapet, Tulsa Asian Collective’s director of creative strategy, at Tulsa Asia Fest because she designed the event’s website. So he enlisted her to tackle the Tulsa Asian Collective website too.
Buapet, a photographer by trade, immediately latched onto the flourishing art and small business scene in Tulsa after leaving Muskogee. Tulsa Asia Fest was the first time she felt like people appreciated Asian art.
“That event lift(ed) me up to do more,” Buapet said. “I am hopeful that other people (who) get involved (in) our Asian community will feel the same way — that they’re seen. And, when you’re seen, you tend to do more.”
Lachelle King, director of operations, played an essential role in helping Asian communities feel seen and represented. She served in former Mayor G.T. Bynum’s Office of Resilience and Equity, overseeing the Title V commissions when the Asian Affairs Commission was added.
Quickly, King said she hit a ceiling. The Indian Affairs Commission, for example, has tribal governments to collaborate with, and the Tulsa Women’s Commission hosts the Pinnacle Awards with YWCA Tulsa. But there wasn’t a partner for the Asian community, just a bunch of small businesses.
“What I noticed that (it) more so translated to at the end of the day is resources,” King said. “It’s also kind of like a platform, and just a way to get more work done collectively with an organization that doesn’t have the red tape and barriers that a city government does.”
That’s the gap Tulsa Asian Collective hopes to fill.
Community development
Before moving onward, Tulsa Asian Collective is seeking nonprofit status. Nancy Yang, director of finance, says she hopes to have that wrapped up by the end of the year.
Yang, who also served on the Asian Affairs Commission, said there were lacking resources when she moved to Tulsa nearly 10 years ago.
“They didn’t know where all the cultural events were, and they were just trying to connect with people who are from the same cultural background,” Yang said about Tulsa’s Asian community. “I’m hoping that through TAC, we will be able to fill in that gap for the Asian community.”
Tulsa Asian Collective is mapping Asian businesses, services and cultural groups online, and gathering survey responses to gauge what needs and wants Asian Tulsans are voicing.
Any Asian business and organization owners who want to be highlighted can email their name, address and phone number to info@tulsaasiancollective.org.
“We have seen how Tulsa’s Asian community has grown and developed. Now it’s just, what do we prioritize first?” Lau said.
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