By Elena Ferrarin

Source Daily Herald

An event designed to increase knowledge of Islam and the Muslim community has been in the works for months in Elgin but is particularly timely in the wake of the Boston bombings, organizers said.

“Who Is My Islamic Neighbor?” takes place May 19 at Elgin Community College. It will include speakers Gerald Hankerson, outreach coordinator for the Chicago Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Mariam Nasser, a teacher at Elgin Academy.

There will also be small-group discussions facilitated by members of the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, said Rev. Denise Tracy, president of the Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders, one of the sponsors of the event.

“In the current climate, and even more so after the events of the last couple of weeks, we thought that understanding and education (about Islam) would improve the community feel that we would like to encourage in Elgin,” Tracy said.

The event also is sponsored by ECC and the Elgin Human Relations Commission.

Danise Habun, human relations commission member, said she had the idea of organizing the Elgin event after attending a similar one in Hanover Park last year. The goal is also to break down stereotypes about Muslims, Habun said.

Read the rest of the article here.

Print this page.

Advertisements

By Elena Ferrarin

Source Daily Herald 

Elgin’s first Education Summit brought together about 180 people Friday for what Elgin Mayor David Kaptain called “the largest community conversation” he’s ever hosted.

Educators, nonprofit agencies, business owners and other community members participated in the event spearheaded by Kaptain in partnership with Elgin Area School District U-46, Community Unit School District 301 and Elgin Community College. It was held at The Centre of Elgin.

Education is among the goals in a strategic plan adopted by the Elgin City Council late last year.

“It may seem like an anomaly for the city council to have identified that as a strategic goal,” Kaptain said. “But the issue of education goes well beyond the classroom, to the root of many of the social and economic challenges we faces as a community.”

Guest speaker Laurie Preece talked about the strategies used by Alignment Rockford, a community-based initiative created in 2009 that brings together civic, religious, educational and business leaders to support schools.

See the rest of the article here.

Print this page.

Advertisements