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Tulsa United Way seeks partnerships to reach Asian American community amid immigration fears
Summary
Jesse Guardiola of Tulsa Area United Way told the Asian Affairs Commission the United Way is launching an awareness and coalition-building push in 2025 to connect immigrant and Asian American communities with nonprofit services, and asked commissioners for ideas and introductions to expand outreach and language access.
Jesse Guardiola, vice president for community engagement and government relations at the Tulsa Area United Way, asked the Asian Affairs Commission on Feb. 8 to help the nonprofit reach Asian American and other immigrant communities in Tulsa as immigration enforcement activity and misinformation create fear.
Guardiola said the United Way will focus in 2025 on an awareness campaign and more intentional community engagement to connect immigrants and refugees with nonprofit services they already use but may not know are supported by United Way.
The request matters because community leaders and nonprofit providers said fear about immigration enforcement is interrupting school attendance and public engagement and because coalition-building could broaden access to “know your rights” information and other services across multiple communities.
Guardiola said he leads the United Way’s marketing, communications and volunteer programs and its government-relations and Hispanic initiatives, and described gaps in awareness among immigrant and refugee groups. "What I have found with bridging with the immigrant and Hispanic community is that some, but not all, in some cases very little, know about the Tulsa United Way," he said.
He told commissioners that a 50-person statewide meeting in Oklahoma City highlighted worries about immigration raids and the prospect that detained parents could leave children without caregivers. "There is a lot of fear in the state of Oklahoma currently," Guardiola said, adding that misinformation on social media is compounding concern.
To respond, he asked commissioners for introductions and suggestions on trusted entry points into the Asian American community. Guardiola offered several local resources he said are already developing "know your rights" materials: the YWCA immigrant-refugee center, the Mexican consulate in Oklahoma City, the Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Catholic Charities. He also offered United Way as a long-term partner and asked commissioners to invite the United Way to community events.
Commissioners and staff raised language access and narrative framing as priorities for outreach. One commissioner noted the need to make translated materials available for communities with different immigration pathways, including Afghans and other refugee groups, and asked the United Way to coordinate with city translation services and school-district resources.
Guardiola and commissioners discussed tactics such as showing up at community festivals, sponsoring "know your rights" workshops, and distributing printed materials at trusted local sites. He said the United Way will be deliberate about expanding work beyond the Hispanic community and into Asian American neighborhoods and organizations.
Guardiola also asked for help sharing concrete resources. "If they maybe don't feel comfortable reaching out to the YWCA, then it's reaching out to the Mexican consulate in Oklahoma City," he said, and added that Catholic Charities and the Tulsa Hispanic Chamber are building complementary guides. He invited commissioners to forward materials to him and to Lexi (staff), who is coordinating follow-up.
The United Way presentation left commissioners with several suggested next steps: coordinate translated "know your rights" materials with school-district and city translation capacities; identify community festivals and civic events for United Way presence; and develop a coalition approach so multiple immigrant communities present a unified message to state and local elected officials.
No formal actions were taken during the presentation; commissioners asked staff to follow up and share contact materials so the United Way can begin pilot outreach in specific neighborhoods.
Ending — Guardiola said he would remain a point of contact for the commission. "Consider me a resource at Tulsa United Way," he said, and encouraged commissioners to call on the organization to join community engagements and awareness efforts.
