MIMA Community Matters: Mayor's Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs

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July 2015

LatinoFest

On June 27th, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake participated in the 35th Annual LatinoFest in Patterson Park. Throughout the years, the festival has filled our city with music, food, and culture. The festival was founded in 1980 by Jose Ruiz as a way to celebrate Baltimore’s Latino culture and support programs assisting Latino students and their families to overcome academic, language and cultural barriers by EBLO (Education Based Latino Outreach).

We thank EBLO for their commitment to Baltimore’s Latino community and for organizing LatinoFest year after year and further contributing to the fabric of our city.  Congratulations on your 35th Anniversary!

LatinoFest 2015

Cities United for Immigration Action (CUIA)

On July 23rd, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined forces with 21 mayors to voice her strong opposition to proposed bills withholding federal funds to so called “Sanctuary Cities”.  

These types of bills contradict our efforts to build a welcoming city. It particularly undermines our community policing to build trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities in Baltimore. Providing a safe space for immigrants to report crime is in line with our efforts of building safer neighborhoods.  It means focusing on public safety threats, not on our neighbors.

Read more about these actions in the Hill

Learn more about CUIA

Best Wishes to Departing MIMA Intern Kaela Harlee

Kaela Harlee

MIMA is biding a fond farewell to intern Kaela Harlee this July as she leaves to attend school at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. Kaela joined MIMA in November from her high school, National Academy Foundation, and through a partnership with Urban Alliance. Since that time, Kaela has demonstrated her strong work ethic and interest in serving the community as she worked on her long-term project of a resource guide, in addition to daily administrative tasks.

Kaela noted that her enthusiasm for work and contributing to a team comes from her lifelong desire to learn something new and be challenged. It is Kaela’s goal, upon completing university and law school, to stay in Baltimore because as she poignantly states, “What better place to help than your home?  It is time for me to give back.”

MIMA thanks Kaela for her many contributions to the team and we know she will do many great things in her future and for Baltimore. Thank you and congratulations Kaela!

Calendar of Events

First Time Homebuyers Workshop
Information on real estate agents, down payments, grants and loan programs by Belair Edison Neighborhoods Inc. Third Saturdays until November 21 from 10 am to 3 pm. Herring Run Enoch Pratt Branch, 3801 Erdman Avenue. More information

Life in Motion: A Conversation with Ballerina Misty Copeland
Meet ballerina superstar Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theater’s first African American principal dancer. Saturday, August 1 at 1pm. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt Street. Contact 443-263-1800. More information

National Night Out 2015
Join the Frankford Improvement Association, the International Rescue Committee, Friends of Herring Run Park and other partners to celebrate and promote a better quality of life and safety in our parks. Tuesday, August 4 from 6 pm to 8 pm. 4500-4700 blocks of Parkside Drive. Contact 410-325-1165 for more information.

Capacity-Building & Grant Writing Training
Learn the art of successful grant writing and capacity building, including who are the top funders, in this training from HUD. Wednesday, August 5 from 9 am to 4 pm. Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette Street. Contact: partnershipsevents2@hud.gov. More information

Anna Mendez: La Fiesta de Baile
Families will enjoy masterful performance of Spanish dance and Flamenco, including Spanish vocabulary and culture. Thursday, August 6 at 11am. Southeast Anchor Enoch Pratt Library, 3601 Eastern Avenue. More information

Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s 2015 Back 2 School Rally
Come celebrate the start of a new school year with free backpacks and school supplies, childhood immunizations and fresh produce. Saturday, August 8 from 12 pm to 3 pm. War Memorial Plaza at City Hall, 100 N. Holliday St. Contact 443-984-1650. More information

Pan on the Hill Community Fair
Fair hosted by St. Veronica’s Youth Steel Orchestra featuring Pan Masters Steel Orchestra, Pan Lara Steel Orchestra and T& T Steel Orchestra. Saturday, August 8 from 1 pm to 9pm. 3220 The Alameda. Contact Anthony McFarlane at 410-292-6814. More information

Baltimore City Health Department Community Health Fair
BHCD and its Community Health Partners will provide an array of community resources and health services. Spanish speaking providers and materials available. Saturday, August 15 from 9am to 3pm.  Eastern Clinic, 620 N. Caroline Street.  Contact: 410-396-9410.

Lawyer in the Library
Advocates from Maryland Legal Aid will present information and facilitate discussion about the following topics-Government Benefits (July 29) and Family Law (August 26) on Wednesdays at 5 pm. Pennyslvania Avenue Enoch Pratt Branch, 1531 W. North Avenue. More information

Live Baltimore: Preparing your Credit for Homeownership
Find out what mortgage lenders look for in your score, how to improve it and much more. Wednesday, August 19 from 6pm to 7 pm. 343 North Charles Street. More information

Cabinet in the Community
Join Mayor Rawlings-Blake, along with 1st District Councilman James Kraft, as she convenes her cabinet meeting in your community. Thursday, August 20 from 7pm to 9pm, Cristo Rey High School, 420 Chester Street. To inform the discussion, please complete this survey to let the Mayor’s cabinet know what issues are most important to you and your family.

Despues de la Frontera/After the Border
Features the stories of immigrant children living in Baltimore who were forced to flee their homes in Central America. Saturday, August 22 from 6pm to 8pm Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Avenue.
More Information

Please submit your event for consideration to mima@baltimorecity.gov

Snapshot of Our Community

The Bicyclists of Baltimore

The Bicyclists of Baltimore is a project that uses bicycles as a vehicle for storytelling, connecting diverse groups and people with the goal of crossing social boundaries to create community. The project is a collaboration between Andy Dahl, community artist and organizer, and Marissa O’Guinn, cinematographer and editor. In their work, bicycles are viewed as an equalizer and something all Baltimoreans can do together, the beginning of addressing the ongoing and timely concerns about inequalities in the city.

One of the bicycle enthusiasts featured in their project was Boson Au. To Mr. Au, bicycles uniquely allow people to connect with the world around them. The beginning of this passion for Mr. Au started in a parking lot in Hong Kong as his brother taught him to ride at the age of eight. Upon moving to Baltimore nearly a decade ago, the community Mr. Au originally found through bicycles and the co-op Velocipede drives his understanding of the importance of learning about people’s circumstances and ultimately “allowing people into our lives” as we all work to improve the city.

Learn more about the Bicyclists of Baltimore important work of connecting all Baltimoreans and creating community in their upcoming film and on their website.

Bosun Au

Boson Au sharing his love for bicycling in Baltimore. Photo credit: Marissa O’Guinn.

Partner Spotlight: EBLO, Education-Based Latino Outreach

EBLO logo

2015 marks the 35th anniversary of EBLO, Education-Based Latino Outreach. This long-standing organization was started by a small group of community activists who decided to create opportunities for quality education for first generation Hispanic children in Baltimore.

Since that time, their work has expanded to include educational programming in three different schools, Saturday School, adult ESL and computer classes, Spanish classes and cultural awareness and education. EBLO has also recently made plans to deepen their social impact and leverage their long history of educational programming by addressing the needs of all of Baltimore’s low-income and low-literacy communities in the near future.

More about EBLO

Hispanic Commission

Every year Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, in partnership with the Baltimore City Hispanic Commission, presents the Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Awards. These awards honor members of the Baltimore City Hispanic community who have made outstanding contributions to advance and improve this community’s quality of life.

Each contest winner will be recognized during the 9th Annual Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Month Reception, organized by the Baltimore City Hispanic Commission and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs (MIMA).

Please submit your nomination by September 4, 2015.

To learn more about the Hispanic Commission click here.

Community Resources

2015 Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award

Established in honor of the former Turner Station resident and Johns Hopkins cancer patient, Henrietta Lacks, whose cells contributed to ground-breaking medical advancements, this $15,000 award highlights the importance of community-university collaborations. Programs must address one or more of these qualifying issues: poverty, community health and well-being, social justice and neighborhood developed. Deadline to apply: August 13, 2014. More information

Summer Food Lunch Program

This summer, Baltimore City's Community Action Partnership Centers will provide free lunch to Baltimore City youth 18 years old and younger. Just visit any Community Action Partnership Center during the hours of 11:30 am – 2:00 pm through August 21, 2015. For more information, contact Lori Cunningham at 410-396-3228.

Baltimore City Community Action Partnership Centers:

  • Northern: 5225 York Road
  • Northwest: 3939 Reisterstown Road
  • Eastern: 1400 E. Federal Street
  • Southern: 606 Cherry Hill Road
  • Southeast: 3411 Bank Street

Reaching New Heights

The William & Lanaea C. Featherstone Foundation’s new workforce development program will equip bilingual candidates (Spanish/ English) with new skills and place them into jobs in the financial service industry. Please contact the Featherstone Foundation at 410-294-4055 for more information. Application deadline: July 31.


MIMA small logo

Mayor's Office of Immigrant & Multicultural Affairs
100 N. Holliday Street, Room 250
Baltimore, MD  21202
410-396-8056
mima@baltimorecity.gov