Tulsa: November 2023 Archives

Zomi USA: How a City in Oklahoma Became Home for an Ethnic Group from Southeast Asia

"The Zomis arrival to Tulsa dates back to the 1970s, and many in the Tulsa Zomi community point to Chin Do Kham as the catalyst. Kham, who died in 2013 from a heart attack..., came to Tulsa to study and graduated from Oral Roberts University.... Over the years, more and more Zomi arrived at Kham's behest and with his help.

"The Zomi population numbered about 50 in the late 1990s in Tulsa, with most studying in the city, according to TaangGo Khup, general secretary for Zomi Innkuan USA, a Tulsa-based organization founded to foster community development and support families and family members still in Myanmar, also known as Burma....

"At Jenks Public Schools, where a large number of Zomi children are enrolled, the focus is on trying to integrate the students and parents into the American education system as best as possible, said Jennifer Daves, coordinator for the district's English language development program. The district started seeing a surge in Zomi and Burmese students around 2009, Daves said.

"The population of Zomi and Burmese students continues to increase each year at Jenks, doubling from 413 in 2013 to 984 currently."