Latin Tulsa’s rising star
Incorporated more than a century after the revolution and decades after the Civil War, Tulsa is among America’s youngest cities. It is therefore fitting that this is the place where a new generation of bright young leaders dedicated to bettering their community is emerging, and among this diverse group of energetic men and women on a mission is Mayor G.T. Bynum’s Community Development and Policy Assistant, Christina Starzl Mendoza.
A native of Panama, Mendoza moved to the United States when she was five years old, growing up in Nebraska and Washington State. She moved to Tulsa in 2012, taking a job with YWCA’s Immigrant and Refugee Services office, where, Mendoza said, she “got to learn the diversity that there is in Tulsa and got to really feel at home because I saw that there was a thriving immigrant community.”
In 2013, Mendoza went to work for Community Service Council, where she coordinated two important educational efforts supporting Latino families, “Conexiones” and “The Power of Families” program.
“I had a lot of great opportunities to learn more about how Tulsa can better help our community,” Mendoza recalled. “Our [immigrant] community has come to the U.S. because they want to find a better life, and if our city is able to help remove some barriers then I think we have a bright future in front of us.”
In January of 2017, Mendoza joined the new administration of Mayor Bynum, where she is playing a vital role in crafting and implementing the city’s approach to its burgeoning immigrant population, which the mayor has publicly praised as being the driving force behind Tulsa’s economic growth.
“My two focuses are public health and community development within our immigrant community,” Mendoza told La Semana, explaining that in the course of her duties she meets with everyone from policy makers and agency directors to indi- vidual members of the community as she works to find ways to improve the lives of those she serves and represents.
Mendoza said one of the accomplishments she is most proud of is the establishment of a contract with the local community soccer team Tulsa Tornados for the rental of Wright Park near 5th and 129th East Avenue, an agreement which she says benefits both the community and the city.
“In addition to being able to use the park for practice and tournaments, they are helping the city because they are making this park cleaner and safer,” Mendoza explained, observing that you now see hundreds of children playing in and enjoying the park, which in previous years had been in a state of disrepair. “It’s a success in showing how the city and the Hispanic community can work together to make our city better.”
Other efforts Mendoza is helping Tulsa undertake include the New Tulsans Initiative, which she said will benefit not just the Hispanic community, but all immigrant families calling the city “home.”
“With the New Tulsans Initiative we received a grant from New American Economy to develop a strategic plan,” Mendoza said, “where we’re going to work with different folks within the immigrant community to better understand their challenges and get their input as to what are the things that they think should be made better.”
“Once we understand what those problems are, then with the committee we can develop a plan to address those barriers,” she explained, adding that the plan would be implemented for a period of two to three years and then evaluated to see "what worked and what didn’t."
Despite her busy job at City Hall, Mendoza is also an active member of the community, and can frequently be seen volunteering at health fairs and other events, sometimes in her other role as President of COHO (Coalition of Hispanic Organizations).
Asked about being a role model for the next generation of Hispanic women, Mendoza likes to cite former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin – also an immigrant – who observed that everyone celebrates the first Hispanic or the first African American to fill a given position, but few celebrate when the “firsts” become a plurality.
“Starting this position, I realized that this is not a celebration – this is not done yet. I won’t celebrate until we actually have representation, when I see that I’m not the only one here.” (La Semana)