Need for Native community center in Tulsa highlighted during NACC luncheon

(TVLSE, Okla.) The Native American Community Committee (NACC) met Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Indian Health Care Resource Center (IHCRC), where an open-floor discussion largely focused on the need for a Native community center in Tulsa.

“We don’t have anything like that as far as Intertribal,” said David Bible (Muscogee and Hopi), chairman of the Tulsa Indian Club, Tulsa's oldest Native American cultural organization. “We have Creek Community Centers which are just for their citizens, same as Cherokees, just for their Citizens to take advantage of their programs, it’s kind of limited.”

Bible said he meets fellow Natives from across the country at Southwest Trading Company, which he owns with his daughter, Ashley. Many have brought their families to Tulsa for work, school, or training programs and are looking for a sense of community with people who share their cultural values. 

“They just want to know where do we all go, where do we meet, what do we do,” said Bible. “There’s nothing for their kids to gather somewhere just to be with other Natives for that support and cultural engagement and other tribes.”

NACC, a collaborative network of representatives from Native American Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Business Resource Groups (BRGs), and Native-owned and Native-operated businesses, has been convening Indian Country leaders through quarterly luncheons for several years. 

The committee operates under the IHCRC, a non-profit health organization celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. 

IHCRC CEO Carmelita Skeeter (Citizen Potawatomi) said the clinic’s role is to facilitate the NACC meetings, bringing businesses, organizations, and community members together so they can build relationships, share ideas, and learn from each other.

“And that’s exactly what happened in this case,” Skeeter said. “Even though IHCRC is the facilitator, there were people in the room who are much better positioned to lead that particular effort. By facilitating the meeting, we created the opportunity for that person to bring the topic forward and connect with others who are passionate about it.”

Crosswinds News journalists Brittany Harlow and Russell Sun Eagle (Pawnee) were guest speakers at the January NACC luncheon. The newsroom is currently surveying community members about what they would like to see in a Native community center in Tulsa. Those who take the survey will be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card.

Responses will be shared with city leaders such as Amanda Swope (Muscogee and Osage), the City of Tulsa’s Director of Tribal Policy and Partnerships, to inform future discussions. Swope was also in attendance at the luncheon.

Bible recalled growing up in Tulsa with access to a community center and the role it played in shaping his life.

“It was not just a place to be dropped off; it was a place to learn my social skills, with other people that I did not know or was not related to,” Bible said. “Also, we had basketball, soccer, baseball, stuff that we could do year round then. We also had educational stuff where teachers and leaders would come in and teach us different culture stuff.”

He said a community center would also be a great place to offer resume workshops, parenting classes, and sobriety classes. When it comes to funding, Bible said he believes the effort will need to be community-driven.

“Hopefully I’ll see it come to fruition but it’s some of the younger folks that need to push this and also corporate sponsorships whether it’s grants or donations or even tribal help,” Bible said. “Once it gets going, I’ve always been told that the tribes will help out but they can’t really start it.”

Skeeter said this isn’t the first time the idea of a Native community center has surfaced.

“I think it’s coming up again now because the climate may be right for it,” Skeeter said. “The mayor has been very supportive of the tribes, and there’s a stronger sense of collaboration in Tulsa between the city and Native organizations. People are seeing an opportunity for the city and tribal leadership to come together in a way that maybe wasn’t possible before.”

She said this moment may be ripe for the community, the city, and the tribes to work together to make it happen.

The next NACC luncheon at IHCRC is scheduled for April 15. Email Cheryl Echevarria at cechevarria@ihcrc.org for more information.