 On Friday August 7th, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, along with members of her cabinet, participated in the re-opening of Sneaky Feet in Highlandtown. Sneaky Feet had been temporarily closed after being looted and vandalized during the unrest. While the incident heavily impacted Mario Diaz and his family, he remained resilient and continued to believe in the city that had welcomed him and his family almost a decade ago.
Originally from El Salvador, Mario arrived in Baltimore in 2004. He started working for Sneaky Feet as a sales representative. In 2011, Mario fulfilled his dream of becoming a proud Latino business owner when he and his family purchased the sporting goods store. Since then, Mario and his family have expanded the business, contributing to the Eastern Avenue business corridor, creating jobs and improving his community.
Mario was able to re-open his business in part through assistance from the Highlandtown Main Streets program and Southeast Community Development Corporation. He also received a $35,000, zero interest, forgivable Business Recovery Loan from the Baltimore Development Corporation.
We are thrilled to see Mario and his family back in business!
Congratulations Sneaky Feet!
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MIMA is partnering with Baltimore’s popular newspaper Mundo Latino to produce a monthly publication in Spanish. Each month, MIMA will provide information related to services and resources available to the residents of Baltimore. In addition, the publication will be available on MIMA’s website. By partnering with Mundo Latino, MIMA will be able to reach thousands of Spanish- speaking residents across the city of Baltimore. To read our first edition, visit on the Mayor's Office Blog.
 Within the last decade, approximately 4,660 refugees have been resettled in Baltimore, representing dozens of different countries of origin. Refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan represent one of those communities and MIMA recently met with the Darfurian Refugee Association and its leaders to learn more about this community, their goals and their needs.
The Darfurian Refugee Association was formed and received its 501c3 status only one year ago. Since that time, the Association has grown to 200 members. Addressing the overarching needs of integration and economic advancement experienced by many new arrivals, the Darfurian Refugee Association conducts workshops relating to employment law and mental health, assists new community members with learning to drive and getting licenses, makes referrals to language classes and hosts various community celebrations, including parties for the arrival of the first three Darfuri babies born in America.
For more information, please contact Abdalhamid Ali at 443-939-2335 or on Facebook.
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 Greenmount Senior Center
볼티모어 한인 노인센터
For nearly 26 years, the Greenmount Senior Center (GSC) has been enhancing the quality of life for Baltimore City’s senior citizens. Every month, the center serves about 100 members, with the majority being seniors of Korean descent who reside in Baltimore City.
Recently, the GSC partnered with artist Aletheia Hyun-Jin Shin on the Onngi Project, a project to educate and raise awareness of the longstanding, yet untold experiences of the Korean community in Baltimore. As the seniors created their own Onngis, traditional Korean vessels used to store food, they were encouraged to explore and share about the Korean immigrant experience in Baltimore.
In addition to special projects, the senior center provides strategic programming, such as computer, English, yoga and citizenship classes to enhance the seniors’ quality of life and meet their strong desire to be more independent and enhance their relationships with their community and families.
For more information about the Greenmount Senior Center, contact Angela Lee at 410-396-3552.
425 E. Federal Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
To learn more about the Korean immigrant community in Baltimore and attend the opening reception of the Onngi Project at City Hall.
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Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Awards
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.
Temporary Protected Status for Nepal
On April 25, 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal. In response to the conditions created by this devastating event and the subsequent aftershocks, the Department of Homeland Security announced on June 24, 2015 the designation of Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and that eligible Nepalese nationals residing in the U.S. may apply for TPS.
The registration period is from June 24, 2015 to December 21, 2015. Immigration Legal Services at the Esperanza Center offers affordable and pro bono legal counseling and representation for those seeking Temporary Protected Status. For more information, please contact Guiliana Valencia-Banks, Legal Administrative Assistant, at 443-825-3422.
Noches Acústicas: De Sivar y la Mitad del Mundo
Friday, August 28
(9:30pm-11:30pm)
Creative Alliance,
3134 Eastern Avenue
The
band consists of four musicians native to El Salvador and Ecuador: Geovanny
Gaibor on bass, Walter Amaya lead vocals, drummer Fernando Tobias & Luis
Tobias on guitar. We proudly want to present Baltimore's very first rock band
in Spanish! More information.
Services Fair and Resume Writing Workshop at CASA
August 29 (10am-2 pm)
CASA, 2224 E. Fayette Street
On-site services at this fair include resume writing assistance, expungement assistance, workshops on citizenship and employment rights, children’s activities and more! All services available in both English & Spanish. Contact 240-491-5759 or mpetrick@wearecasa.org for more information.
Watercolor Painting Classes
Every Sunday (3 pm-5 pm)
Tembo Group, 1706 Fleet
Street
Learn
the basics of painting with watercolor with Rebecca, a talented artistic
painter and Iranian immigrant. Paint brush, paint and paper supplied. Contact
667-303-3969.
Spanish for Seniors
September 1 - October 27 (1pm
-2pm)
Cherry Hill Enoch Pratt
Branch. 6060 Cherry Hill Road
Practice
pronunciation, learn grammar and increase your ability to use conversational
words and phrases in Spanish. More information.
Home-Buying Workshops for
First Time Homeowners
September 2 (8:30 am-1:30 pm)
Location provided upon
registration
Attend
this home-buying workshop, hosted by the International Rescue Committee and the
Southeast Community Development Corporation, to learn about all the programs to
help you and your family purchase your first home. To register, contact Kevin
Meadowcroft at 410-558-3178.
Gold of the Ancient Americas
Repeats Weekly Thursdays
until Sunday through October 11.
The Walters Art Museum. 600
North Charles Street.
Take a
look at centuries-old pendants, beaded necklaces, gold-sheathed ear rods and
more from ancient goldsmiths from Peru to Panama. More information.
Sin Nombre
September 3 (7:30pm)
Creative Alliance, 3134
Eastern Avenue
In
conjunction with the exhibition Despues La Frontera/After the Border, watch
this riveting film of a Honduran teen’s journey into an unseen world and an
extraordinary story of redemption and faith. More information.
40th Annual Ukrainian
Festival
September 12 (12 noon-8 pm)
& September 13 (12 noon-6 pm)
Patterson Park
Enjoy a
taste of Ukraine in Baltimore’s own Ukrainian Village with traditional foods,
dancing and activities for all ages. Contact: 410-967-0501.
BMORE Seoul to Soul
September 13 (3:30 pm-5:30
pm)
Ynot Lot, 4 West North Avenue
Be
entertained by lively Korean traditional music, song and dance combined with
dynamic Baltimore style hip-hop performances by Korean- and African-American
artists, while enjoying Korean-American fusion food and building cross-cultural
relationships. More information.
Taste of Peru, Maryland
September 13 (10am - 7pm)
Inner Harbor, 201 Key
Highway
Festival
showcasing Peru’s world-renowned cuisine. More
information.
The Onngi Project:
The Korean Immigrant Stories of Baltimore
September 15 (5:30pm)
Opening Reception in City Hall
Learn about the Korean Immigrant
Experience in Baltimore in this project created by artist Aletheia
Hyun-Jin Shin and enjoy Korean traditional dance performances and light
refreshments. Contact: Lindsey
Bishop, 410-396-8056. To
RSVP.
Documentary Film Screening:
Latino Americans, Prejudice and Pride, 1965-1980
September 16 (7pm)
McGuire Hall, Loyola University,
4501 North Charles
A new
way forward is forged by a generation of Mexican Americans, frustrated by
persistent discrimination and poverty, through social action and the building
of a new “Chicano” identity. More information.
Muevetón (Move it on!)
September 19 (9am - 12noon)
Patterson Park
Centro
SOL, Friends of Patterson Park, and Living Classrooms present the 2015 Muevetón
event sponsored by Medicine for the Greater Good at Johns Hopkins Bayview, in
collaboration with B'More for Healthy Babies and Esperanza Center. Event
activities include: free 5K, health resources expo, basic screenings, cooking
demo, and more! More information.
Grantseeking Resources for
Nonprofits
September 22 (1pm - 3pm)
Central Library, Poe Room,
400 Cathedral Street
Learn
the basics of finding grants and building fundraising relationships, while
taking advantage of the Enoch Pratt’s free resources. More information.
Buying
Into Baltimore
September 26 (8:30am – 3:30pm)
Baltimore
Polytechnic Institute, 1400 W Cold Spring Lane
Buying
Into Baltimore offers participants a chance to meet with real estate experts
and community organizations, sit in on homebuying workshops, take a narrated
bus tour of Baltimore neighborhoods, preview homes for sale, AND become
eligible for $5,000 in downpayment and closing cost assistance toward the
purchase of a home, anywhere in Baltimore City! Register today at livebaltimore.com.
Baltimore-Rotterdam-Xiamen: 30
Year Sister City Anniversary
September 26 (12 pm-8 pm)
Creative Alliance, 3134
Eastern Avenue
2015
marks Baltimore’s 30 year anniversary of sister city relationships with
Rotterdam, Netherlands and Xiamen, China. Enjoy the daytime celebration with
performances and workshops, followed by an art opening reception and networking
event. Contact: committee@baltimorerotterdam.org More information.
Please
submit your event for consideration to mima@baltimorecity.gov
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Mayor's Office of Immigrant & Multicultural Affairs
100 N. Holliday Street, Room 250
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-8056
mima@baltimorecity.gov
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