“Multi-Cultural leader selected - Argus Leader” plus 1 more |
| Multi-Cultural leader selected - Argus Leader Posted: 26 Aug 2010 11:56 PM PDT The Multi-Cultural Center board has found a new executive director - a move board members say is the first step in addressing controversy surrounding the agency - but the new leader's name isn't being revealed yet. Board member Carol Twedt, who also sits on the Minnehaha County Commission, confirmed Thursday that an offer has been made to and accepted by the next director. Twedt declined to offer many more specifics, saying board President Mary Medema would make the official announcement. Medema is out of town this week attending the funeral of her brother. "It is my understanding that a wonderful person will be coming to fill that position," Twedt said. "This person does not currently live in Sioux Falls ... and needs to wrap up some things at their present job and have some privacy while that is going on. "I know this person has all the right credentials ... and wants to come to the community and just be a catalyst to make this agency grow and thrive." Former director Qadir Aware resigned in late April after an internal audit detailed 21 recommendations for the agency, including more thorough auditing of its finances, obtaining state licensing for its after-school programs and involving board members more in its day-to-day activities. The audit had been scheduled as a routine matter but was broadened after a report earlier this year was critical of the center's leadership and ability to reach out to all ethnic and minority groups. The resulting controversy has played a role in the departure of several board members, including Kenny Anderson Jr., a city councilor who resigned his board seat Monday. Anderson, who was on the board for two years, said he didn't want to comment on his departure until he has spoken to Mayor Mike Huether, which he had not done as of late Thursday afternoon. Twedt said Anderson's departure was sad to hear. "Kenny was a pretty important member of the board," she said. "He was out in the community, looking for folks who might want to fill some of the board's vacancies. And he was always an important part of the meeting process." Acting director Bruce Wallin, who took over May 3 for Aware, said the after-school programs will start in two weeks. Those include several reading programs as well as karate classes and play in the gym, Wallin said. Twedt said the board wants to get those after-school programs licensed but has been concentrating on naming a new executive director first, then building its board numbers back up. The hope, both Wallin and Twedt said, is that a strategic planning session involving the board in September will start the process toward licensing and any other agency issues that need to be resolved. Reach reporter Steve Young at 331-2306. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Five Years After Katrina, Hispanic Influx Creating an Uneasy Cultural Shift - South Coast Today Posted: 22 Aug 2010 09:09 PM PDT August 23, 2010 12:00 AM The Washington Post NEW ORLEANS — Five years after Hurricane Katrina, the ongoing rebuilding of the Big Easy has created a new community of Latino immigrants in this famously insular city, redrawing racial lines in a town long defined by black and white. The change began within weeks of a storm that decimated homes and upended lives in one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. The number of black residents dropped as many left for Baton Rouge, La., Houston and other places. While the overall numbers of Hispanics aren't huge, they continue to grow and have had an outsize impact on the culture of this proudly eccentric city and on how people here view their home town. More than three-quarters of the 1.1 million residents in the New Orleans area were born in the state. Many locals still point to long-defunct businesses as landmarks. Recipes at some beloved restaurants haven't changed in 40 years. The emergence of Latinos in the emotionally and politically charged aftermath of the storm sparked outcries from displaced residents who felt their jobs and their status in the city were being challenged. In one infamous press conference, Mayor Ray Nagin pledged to return New Orleans to a "chocolate city" after previously asking what he could do to keep the city from being "overrun by Mexican workers." A documentary released last week by Latino performance artist Jose Torres-Tama titled "From Chocolate City to Enchilada Village" is reigniting the controversy on local talk radio. Political and physical confrontations in the past couple of years have added to the distrust. One parish attempted to limit multi-family homes, a move that critics said targeted the Latino community. Another banned roving taco trucks, and state legislators considered requiring police to check immigration status after arrests. New Orleans police have reported repeated assaults on Latino workers, often targeted because they tend to carry cash, and have appointed one bilingual outreach officer to help combat the crimes. "When I arrived to this city, the city was destroyed. We rebuilt it," said Dennis Soriano, a construction worker and organizer with the Congress of Day Laborers, a local advocacy group founded after Katrina. "Do you want us to go back?" According to census data analyzed by the New Orleans data center, the percentage of Hispanics in the New Orleans area jumped from 4.4 percent in 2000 to 6.6 percent last year. Advocacy groups put the figure at closer to 10 percent or more as many workers, fearful of interacting with the government, avoid being counted. The percentage of blacks fell from 37.1 percent to 34.5 percent, with the decline more pronounced in the city, where African Americans have long been the majority. Before Katrina, the growth of Hispanics in the nation's major cities had largely bypassed New Orleans. The area never saw the dramatic housing and construction bubble that attracted immigrants to other cities, said Steve Striffler, a professor of Latin American studies at the University of New Orleans. Anecdotally, some are now leaving as reconstruction of the city has slowed and the economic downturn has taken its toll. But other immigrants say they have put down roots and discovered the delights of overstuffed po' boys, Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street. Reader Reaction We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication. Not sure how to add your comment? Here's how This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| You are subscribed to email updates from cultural - Bing News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment