Celebrating one decade of @AspenNewVoices!
Meet the 2022 class: experts focused on issues including global health, climate change, human rights, and sexual and reproductive rights.
Meet the fellows: https://t.co/e8YewAqqJk
#AspenNewVoices#NewVoicesFellow
I generally don’t waste time responding to ridiculous garbage being circulated around town, but it has begun to distract from important progress we are making in Tulsa so it is time to make an exception.
It has become very clear that immigration will be a “wedge issue” in this year’s federal elections. This is an important debate, and in the midst of that national debate we in Tulsa continue working to make Tulsa the best city it can be for immigrants who leave their homeland to seek opportunity in our city. This has led people in some instances to assume the worst about what we’re doing, and in other instances to blatantly lie about it.
Example #1: The City of Tulsa was recently recognized as the first Welcoming City in Oklahoma for this work. This designation is a great honor and recognizes our community’s collective work.
False claim: “Tulsa is being recognized as a sanctuary city!”
Reality: No.
Here’s the stated definition of this recognition: “Certified Welcoming is a formal designation for cities and counties that have created policies and programs reflecting their values and commitment to immigrant inclusion. This innovative program assesses city and county governments on their efforts to include and welcome immigrants in all areas of civic, social, and economic life in their communities.” (https://t.co/hRb7FaqgwV)
Example #2: Tulsa International Airport recently broke ground on a new customs processing facility.
False claim: “Tulsa is building one of the largest illegal immigrant processing centers in America and they’re going to be held in a camp at 31st & Memorial!”
Reality: This is complete fiction. The new customs facility at the airport is being built so we can have direct flights to international destinations. Any airport that does this must have a U.S. Customs & Border Patrol processing facility for people and their luggage to go through. It is for airline patrons, not for processing illegal immigrants. If you’ve ever flown internationally, you’ve been through one of these. (https://t.co/szM4wdW6wy)
I have absolutely no idea where the 31st & Memorial site nonsense came from, but the claim is a lie.
Example #3: People recently saw a large group walking down the highway in Tulsa.
False claim: “There are hundreds of migrants who were dropped off at the train station in Catoosa and are walking to Tulsa!”
Reality: This was an annual faith walk organized by a local church. As a church staff member said: “It makes us feel really great that we are sharing our faith and knowing that God is doing great things in our community especially in our Hispanic community, that we can give that great news to not just people that belong to this church but to many people that are outside of this church outside of the city of Tulsa.” (https://t.co/L9EYhUf4Fj)
Example #4: The City of Tulsa, Tulsa County, and philanthropic donors recently announced the first business incubator in Oklahoma that will support immigrant entrepreneurs in East Tulsa.
False claim: “Mayor Bynum is declaring Tulsa a sanctuary city!”
Reality: What? I don’t even understand how someone gets to that from what we announced. We want Tulsa to be a city where entrepreneurs are supported as they start new businesses, and that is what this center will do. (https://t.co/6z6Tm4YaQU)
Each of the false claims above got enough circulation that other elected officials reached out to see if it was true or not. I appreciate them having the thoughtfulness to check - something the people manufacturing this stuff either didn’t bother to do or knew but spread falsehoods anyway. I want those who care to know the facts to have access to them.
I am bothered by the jump that some folks continue to make in raising fears about illegal immigration whenever we talk about helping immigrants. I hope the immigrants who call Tulsa home know how honored I am as the Mayor of Tulsa that you chose our city out of anywhere in the world as a beacon of freedom and opportunity. 🇺🇸
On our first #fridayspotlight, we are excited to share Jamar Hill's, one of our #HealthyCommunitiesFellows, inspiring efforts to making baseball accessible to underserved kids and minorities through low-cost and free training camps.
https://t.co/7ARNS2rLQQ
In the face of what feels like unrelenting violence, how do we continue to advocate for progressive criminal justice policy and restorative justice? How do we refrain from seeking vengeance, revenge and retribution? https://t.co/7fAh8165np
Some were already mothers, excited about having another baby. Others were upset or frightened to find themselves pregnant. All tested positive for drugs. And when these women lost their pregnancies, each ended up in jail. https://t.co/dwVS18vfiR
Meet the 2022 class of @AIFWG SOAR fellows! These 18 women leaders are a driving force for change in the service of women, girls, and families across the world! Meet the new cohort and learn about the fellowship: https://t.co/gB5orp9cNK. #WeLeadWeSOAR
"We’re starting to see an impact on whether or not we can meet with companies and whether or not they want to reconsider if we have an active project to relocate here as well," a Tulsa Regional Chamber official told… https://t.co/2pB9DxmfFG
🌇 @harlanjustin has helped move more than 1,700 remote workers to Tulsa, Oklahoma, through @tulsaremote, which offers people $10,000 to move to the city for a year.
Here's what it’s taught him about how people should decide where they should live. ⬇️
https://t.co/bp3mlFXIcK
Domestic violence is a silent scourge across Africa, and it will remain so until the cultural and legal norms that condone it have been rejected. https://t.co/Pd3R2ePGje @AspenNewVoices @DrSalamiTijani1
This piece would not have happened without the @AspenNewVoices fellowship & the training & support I recieved as an Aspen New Voices Fellow
Many thanks to the team @andrewquinn@EmilyLKaiser@hkearl, Katy Stewart & all our facilitators who helped me trust & craft my public voice
Emergency contraception should be widely available and viewed as a proactive treatment — to have on hand as a medicine cabinet staple, like aspirin. It should not be a rare resource only accessible by the socially and economically privileged.
https://t.co/7LLqCxxBmn
Routine vaccinations have become a luxury in Democratic Republic of Congo — and children are paying the price, writes @ZitaAmwanga, with additional reporting by Françoise Mbuyi Mutombo.
https://t.co/JbrGnN6rLG
#KnowYourWorld#childrenshealth
In the absence of legal protections for gender and sexual minorities, most transgender Zimbabweans are unable to access gender-affirming services — critical to the well-being of trans people — with safety or ease https://t.co/Lbrpry1mrd