“The citizenship class is not just a place. It is an important opportunity to help people adjust to a new environment and become rooted in the community.” — Yeonju Park, BPL Citizenship program graduate and U.S. citizen.
After a lengthy debate and a show of overwhelming support from Bartlesville residents, the City Council on Monday voted 5-0 to accept a grant that helps fund the Bartlesville Public Library’s Citizenship program.
The $14,000 grant, provided through federal funding administered by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, has been used for the past 11 years to fund the salary of the Library’s part-time immigration/citizenship literacy assistant, who teaches the citizenship classes in addition to English and Spanish learning classes. The division also provides in-person onsite and offsite health literacy programs and weekly in-person and virtual literacy classes.
What happened
Despite its 11-year history with no known opposition, the grant became a point of contention during a City Council meeting held Jan. 5, when Ward 1 Councilor Tim Sherrick pulled the item from the agenda’s consent docket and questioned Library Director Kiley Roberson about whether participants are required to prove they are in the U.S. lawfully before being allowed to participate in the class.
Roberson responded that there is no such requirement and explained that the library does not administer citizenship testing but rather provides information to anyone seeking to become a U.S. citizen. (Immigration status is conducted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency before anyone is allowed to test for U.S. citizenship.) Roberson pointed out that requiring Library staff to check immigration status before permitting participation in the class would not only be onerous for staff, she did not believe the City could add stipulations to the grant without the permission of the grant provider.
Sherrick then questioned Roberson on Library practices as well as whether information provided through the program could be used to make fake IDs and assist someone in the country unlawfully to vote fraudulently.
After debating the issue further, the council voted 2-2 on the measure, with Ward 2 Councilor Larry East joining Sherrick in voting “No” unless a stipulation for proof of immigration status was added.
Mayor Jim Curd and Vice Mayor Trevor Dorsey voted in support of the grant as written. Ward 4 Councilor Aaron Kirkpatrick was not able to attend the Jan. 5 meeting, resulting in a tie vote on the issue. In cases of a tie, the measure fails.
Public response
The failure to pass on Jan. 5 effectively ended future funding for the program, which resulted in a groundswell of support by Bartlesville residents. Following the public response, East notified City staff that he wanted to reconsider the item at the February council meeting along with two other items voted on recently by the council.
The items East indicated he would like to reconsider were added to the agenda for the Feb. 3 meeting:
- The Bartlesville Public Library grant from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.
- A $15,000 donation from Phillips 66 to replace trees on U.S. Highway 75 that had been damaged in the May 2024 tornado. The item was postponed during the Jan. 5 meeting, also in a 2-2 vote with Sherrick and East voting in opposition, with Sherrick maintaining the item should be postponed pending revisions requested by some members of the Washington County GOP, including Sherrick, to the City’s comprehensive plan, Endeavor 2045. The group has demanded that any DEI references and/or language consistent with the United Nations agenda be removed from the document. However, City staff learned the donation would not be available in the future, prompting reconsideration of the item on Monday.
- Citizens to be Heard, which had been changed at the request of Sherrick during the December 2024 meeting, the first meeting of the new council term, to allow anyone residing in Washington County to address the council rather than citizens residing in or within 10 miles of Bartlesville as previously required.
Due to Rosenburg’s Rules of Order, an additional agenda item was included for the Feb. 3 meeting to allow the council to reconsider all three measures.* However, East announced during the meeting that he had changed his mind again about Citizens to be Heard and that he would not support reconsideration of that item.
Citizens to be Heard
Prior to discussion by the council, several citizens addressed the council about all three items, with an overwhelming turnout in support of the Library grant.
One graduate of the Citizenship program and now U.S. citizen said the classes allowed her to make friends in the community, improve her English, and learn more about American culture.
“The class has been a valuable opportunity for me to learn about American history and values,” said Yeonju Park, who moved to the U.S. from South Korea. “Moving to a new country is not easy, but the class has given me the support and confidence I needed to adapt to life here. If the support from this program were to be discontinued, it would be a great loss for people like me, who want to learn, grow and become part of the community.”
Retired Literacy Services coordinator Karen Kerr-McGraw also spoke in favor of the program, saying requiring immigration status before offering library services would likely be “contrary to the principles of privacy and confidentiality that is upheld by most library systems.”
“Libraries are considered to be public institutions that serve the entire community, including immigrants,” Kerr-McGraw said “They are built on principles of intellectual freedom, privacy and inclusion. Asking for proof of legality from immigrants could violate these principles and create an environment of fear in our community.”
Abigail Rodriquez, a married mom of two from Mexico City, became emotional as she told the council what the program has meant for her since moving to Bartlesville to accommodate her husband’s career.
“They are very kind to me,” she said, explaining that the tutoring she received in speaking and writing English helped her obtain her driver’s license recently. “This program saved my life. Thank you so much, Cheryl (Dorris), and my teacher Marty and my teacher Yvonne (Leep) and (the council) for this opportunity.”
At least two people spoke against the grant funding, with one saying people who need such services could go to Tulsa. Another, Sarah Burnett, a current candidate for vice chair of the Washington County GOP who often represents the group at City Council meetings, told the council she supports people seeking citizenship in the U.S. but believes proof of immigration status should be provided before being allowed to participate in the class.
Council action
Following public comment, the citizenship grant was discussed by the council with Sherrick stating that he is not opposed to anyone seeking citizenship in the U.S., but that he felt the Library’s Citizenship program failed to comply with federal law.
In response, Dorsey asked City Attorney Jess Kane if the City’s handling of the grant had been lawful in its 11-year history, to which Kane said he met Monday morning with the director of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and was told the City is and has been in compliance with the law.
Sherrick responded by saying he was not aware of this information prior to the meeting and would change his vote based on assurance that the City isn’t violating federal law.
The council then voted 5-0 to approved the grant, as well as the $15,000 donation from Phillips 66 to replace damaged trees on U.S.-75.
Back to work
For Roberson, the public response to the issue and ultimate vote of the City Council is good news for the Library as well as Bartlesville, its employers, businesses and residents.
“I am so grateful for the incredible community support seen at Monday’s council meeting,” Roberson said. “It’s wonderful to hear stories of all those touched and impacted by this important program. We are thankful to the council for their reconsideration and support and now just ready to get back to work helping people in our community realize their American dream.”
Fifty-two people have completed the Bartlesville Public Library Citizenship Program and subsequently became U.S. citizens. There are currently nearly 100 active leaners enrolled in the Library’s literacy programs.
* Rosenburg’s Rules of Order, which has been adopted by the Bartlesville City Council, allows the council to reconsider a measure that has failed during the meeting in which the vote occurred or the meeting immediately following. Otherwise, the item cannot be reconsidered in its current form for one year. RRO does provide, however, for suspension of the rules, allowing the council to reconsider an item anytime. This action was taken during the Feb. 3 meeting to allow for reconsideration of the items referenced in this report.