Ethnic Community Committee

City of Sterling Heights ETHNIC COMMUNITY COMMITTEE Official minutes of the Thursday, November 4, 2021 regular meeting MEMBERS PRESENT: Mohammed Alomari Kelechi Anyaogu Dunia Arif Abbott Basal Willie Dechavez Kozeta Elzhenni Iqbal Singh Vipul Tripathi MEMBERS ABSENT Sue Kattula Shawn Taylor Carmen Williams OFFICIALS PRESENT: Community Relations Services Specialist Sue Giallombardo 1. Call to Order – Vice Chairperson Mohammed Alomari 2. Roll Call  Dunia Arif was present, as the newest member of the committee; she has been a resident of Sterling Heights since 2007, has a 16 year old son and is employed at Macy’s; Arif is happy to be a part of the committee.  Councilman Henry Yanez is in attendance as a guest and will address the committee under New Business. 3. Approval of Minutes: MOTION by Elzhenni, SECONDED by Alomari. Approved 8-0 4. Communication from Citizens:  Giallombardo stated that she received a “save the date” postcard for the 35th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday celebration. The event will be held on Monday, January 17, 2022. Details to follow. 5. Communications from the Sterling Heights Police Dept.-Sgt. Kevin Reese – None 6. Agenda A. Building Bridges  Dechavez stated that October is Filipino American History month; the celebration started with a tribute at the State Capitol by the Senate Legislature and USP4GG hosted a luncheon on the Capitol grounds; he added that the Filipino community has the support of Sterling Heights, Troy and Warren through tributes or proclamations; Dechavez attended Oktoberfest and the city’s volunteer appreciation dinner, along with Iqbal Singh; Dechavez added his Filipino display  is still up at the SH Community Center, with a Phillipine seashell theme and also has a display at the Warren Library, featuring Filipino handy crafts;  Anyaogu said that he volunteered to assist with virtual masses and networks with St. Blasé Catholic Church.  For more information on any of the above mentioned items, please feel free to contact fellow members. Dechavez encouraged members to continue networking and sharing. B. Adopt a Family  Giallombardo stated that the Community Relations department will be collecting information from families that are in need of some assistance during the holidays, and asked members if they would like to continue the tradition of adopting a family that is less fortunate. Several members agreed to participate, by shopping or donating money. Giallombardo will send details on a small family, and will shop for items and/or gift cards on behalf of the committee. Giallombardo reminded members that particpating in the program is optional.  Elzhenni stated that the A.I.C.C. Sisters Committee would like to adopt a family again. Giallombardo stated that she will send out details.  Anyone else that might be interested in adopting a family can contact Giallombardo. C. Showcase at Community Center  Giallombardo said that there is a showcase on the second floor of the Community Center that is reserved for the Ethnic Community Committee, adding that Dechavez currently has his Filipino items displayed.  Dechavez suggested that Kattula display her nativity scenes for December, and asked other members to sign up for a month. Giallombardo will follow up with Kattula.  Elzhenni will have displays for January and March 2022; Alomari and Arif committed to April; Dechavez will have a display in May; Basal committed to June and Singh committed to August.  Giallombardo reminded members that February is Black History Month, she offered help members with the display and can acquire some items from the library.  Giallombardo will send reminders to members to pick up items in time for the next month’s display. 7. Old Business:  Dechavez is planning to invite delegates from the city’s sister city of Sosorgon, Philippines to Sterling Heights, as he did in 2019. He will plan lunch and a tour of City Hall and the surrounding area. Giallombardo provided letters of invite from Mayor Taylor. Councilman Yanez stated that it’s very important to share culturally with cities around the world; and said that he was recently at the Michigan Municipal League conference, and they had a guest from Malaysia, adding that it was interesting to hear what they’re doing in their community.  Dechavez is continuing his discussions with medial personnel regarding a “meet and greet” to welcome the nurses that are coming from the Philippines to help with the nursing shortage. Dechavez is anticipating a summer timeline. 8. New Business:   Alomari congratulated Councilman Yanez on his re-election to City Council and thanked him for attending the meeting. Yanez stated that he was appointed to the Council in 2019 and planned to visit several boards and commissions prior to covid; he congratulated all of the members and thanked them for their hard work and volunteerism.  Yanez stated that he was approached by Gil Guevara at the Cultural Exchange about having a Hispanic Heritage celebration in Sterling Heights, preferably between Sept 16 and Oct. 16. Yanez noted that there is a large Hispanic population in Sterling Heights and the surrounding communities and spoke briefly to Kyle Langlois about making this an official city event, with the support of the Ethnic Community Committee. Yanez is asking for the support of the Committee to host the event, with the ALAS (Artistas Latinx en Accion Siempre) organization doing the work for the event.  Members were concerned about sponsorship and the timing of the event being too close to the diversity dinner. Yanez stated that he will be meeting with Mr. Guevara to get more details and will keep Giallombardo in the loop. The event will be further discussed at the December meeting.  Yanez stated that he attended a Michigan Recycling Coalition, and said that Michigan is far behind the national average in terms of recycling. Yanez would like for committee members to consider helping increase the number of ESL residents that recycle by teaching the importance of recylcing. Yanez stated that there are micro-grants available that could help get the information out using flyers printed in various languages. Giallombardo stated that she would talk with Melanie Davis about highlighting recycling in the next city magazine, and added that we could have an informational table at the Cultural Exchange.  Giallombardo asked members what they would like to do for the December meeting, in terms of having a holiday celebration in lieu of a regular meeting. It was decided to have a small party in the conference room, on Dec. 2 at 6:00 p.m., each member is asked to bring a dish to share. Giallombardo will bring refreshments and paper products. Singh suggested inviting Mayor Taylor and City Council, Giallombardo will send an invite.  Singh thanked Councilman Yanez and stated that it’s an honor that he came to the committee for the support of the Hispanic community. 9. Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.