Nichols pledges commitment to Indigenous prosperity during sold-out AICCO luncheon

Native Commerce News is sponsored by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma (AICCO), dedicated to expanding Indian Country commerce across the globe. 

(TULSA, Okla.) It’s a new year, and potentially a new era as Tulsa leadership pledges to put Indian Country interests front and center. 

Newly elected Mayor Monroe Nichols spoke to a sold-out crowd during the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma (AICCO) Tulsa Chapter Luncheon in the Allen Chapman Student Union at the University of Tulsa on January 9. 

“There is no future unless we work better not only with Tribal Leaders, but unless we make this the best place in the country for Native Citizens,” Nichols said. “It means a lot to me actually to come here, to see everybody here. This reinforces this new renaissance we have now where we are gonna decide today and work every day to make sure that Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the gateway to Indian Country. That is my goal as mayor.”

The city resides inside the boundaries of three Tribal Nations: Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, and Osage. 

Nichols also reflected on the past, making mention of the history of the Muscogee Creek arriving in Tulsa after their forced removal from their ancestral homelands in the 1830s. 

He was applauded by attendees as he restated his commitment to including Native Americans in his administration’s key decision-making. 

“What we will be together is the center of Native culture, is the center of Native entrepreneurship, is the best place to raise children and start a business,” Nichols said. 

Native Americans and Tribes contribute billions economically to Oklahoma’s economy and millions across local economies including Tulsa. 

Local tribes also partner with local municipalities on projects that benefit everyone. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is working with Tulsa and Jenks on a new South Tulsa dam project, for instance. 

In the fall of 2024, the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank published an article stating that Oklahoma’s increased numbers in the labor force were due to rising numbers of Native Americans filling those jobs. The labor force participation of Native Americans in Oklahoma rose to more than 67 percentage points that same year. 

At the end of his speech, Nichols stressed an open-door policy at city hall and encouraged those in attendance to take advantage. 

“There should not be any time where you’re shy or you question the commitment of the City of Tulsa to meet the needs that you or your community might have,” Nichol said. “This is a new day and a new time.”

The event was sponsored by Southwest Trading Company and Tulsa Indian Club and catered by Chicken Salad Chick in Tulsa Hills Shopping Center. 

Tulsa Chapter Vice President and Tulsa Indian Club Chairman David Bible (Muscogee and Hopi) presented Nichols with an eagle feather, a sacred gift in many Native American cultures, after his speech.