May at the International Institute of Akron

May has been a beautiful month in which the IIA team could share our pride in our work with the greater Akron community. Additionally, we welcomed 17 new refugee individuals from Nicaragua, Burma, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Below, read about our Open House recap, upcoming events in Akron, how to get involved, and more!

IIA Open House 

Friday, May 10th, IIA hosted an Open House for the Akron and Summit County community to visit our new space in downtown Akron. We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support our work in Akron’s immigrant community, and we were honored to share our space with you all for an afternoon of fun!

Special thank you to Summit County Executive, Ilene Shapiro, and City of Akron Mayor, Shammas Malik, for attending the Open House and sharing a few words about our work in the community

We would also like to express our gratitude to three outstanding Mexican restaurants, which graciously donated all the food provided at the Open House. We highly recommend supporting them and trying more of their tasty food options!

-       Dos Coronas – 809 W. Main St, Ravenna, OH 44266

-       La Terraza Mexican Bar & Grill – 3975 Cascades Blvd, Kent, OH 44240

-       Alejandro’s Amigos Taqueria – 4147 Bridgewater Pkwy, Stow, OH 44224

May Recommendation Corner

Netflix’s Warrior 

This month for IIA’s recommendation corner and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we would like to showcase a Netflix action series called Warrior.

Warrior is a unique series that chronicles the journey of Ah Sahm, a Chinese immigrant and martial artist, as he navigates the complex world of San Francisco in the 19th century. His path intertwines with a powerful, organized crime family, leading to a thrilling confrontation with rival Chinatown gangs.

This series has been rated high by IMDb & Rotten Tomato critics with its intense fighting scenes and true-crime events. Warrior is a crime drama with graphic scenes and should be viewed with discretion.

Upcoming Events in Akron

World Refugee Day: In partnership with the Refugee Health Task Force of Summit County and Immigration Network-Akron, celebrate and honor Akron's robust refugee and immigrant community with food, games, and family fun on Saturday, June 22nd from 11am-3pm at Waters Park (140 Olive St, Akron, OH). Learn more at: https://services.akronlibrary.org/event/10705075

Juneteenth: Leading up to Juneteenth, there will be a plethora of events to take part in throughout Akron. Learn more about all the fun happenings at: https://www.downtownakron.com/explore/juneteenth

 Teacher Appreciation Lunch!

Friday, May 17th, in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, IIA hosted our amazing teachers for an appreciation lunch! We’re so lucky to have an outstanding group of individuals teaching our immigrant community English classes, bus training, and citizenship classes, and we’re so grateful for all that they do.

Thanks for staying up to date on everything IIA, and we look forward to sharing more information soon!

April at the International Institute of Akron

This April was another busy yet rewarding month at IIA as we welcomed 37 refugees from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Burma, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to Akron. Stay informed on all things IIA, our upcoming Open House, and more in the newsletter below.

IIA Open House 

The International Institute of Akron’s Open House is officially less than two weeks away! Join us on Friday, May 10th, from 1 pm to 4 pm at our downtown office location for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, office tours, appetizers, and refreshments.

RSVP for free at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-institute-of-akron-open-house-tickets-875306474227

Volunteer Appreciation Month Spotlight 

For Volunteer Appreciation Month, IIA is thrilled to spotlight one of our organizations outstanding interns, Daleelah Ali.

Daleelah first became familiar with IIA when her professor at the University of Akron mentioned the International Institute in an anthropology course on globalization with a focus on refugees. After applying, Daleelah began working as a Communications intern with IIA’s community outreach team. Her role includes creating graphics and blog posts for IIA that showcase and highlight ongoing events, holidays, achievements, social services, immigrant spotlight stories, and important information for clients and supporters. Her favorite work has been writing Recommendation corners for IIA’s monthly newsletters, as she has the opportunity to share some of her favorite readings and shows created by immigrants.

When Daleelah was asked what inspired her to get involved in immigration services, she stated,

“I come from a family of immigrants who have constantly worked hard to provide for their loved ones. My loved ones immigrated to this country having little knowledge of American culture and only knowing a few words in English. Despite this, many of them were able to acquire jobs, all while learning English and establishing themselves in this country. It only seems logical for me to repay the debt of what immigrants have done for me, like my relatives, and how they continue to pave the way for individuals like myself.

Immigrants are strong pillars in our community who bring a variety of different ideas, cultures, influences, and stories to this country. This country would not be what it is today without immigrants. I would like to be a source to these individuals by helping them further share their experiences and aid them in creating new beginnings in this country.”

Daleelah graduates from the University of Akron this Spring and plans to attend graduate school and obtain a Master's in Anthropology. The entire IIA team wishes Daleelah the best in her future endeavors, and we are incredibly grateful to her for her service at IIA and her work to make Akron a more welcoming place for all.

Recommendation Corner: Katayef (Qatayef)

This month, for IIA’s recommendation corner, we want to spotlight Katayef (or Qatayef), a sweet Middle-Eastern dessert that is typically eaten during the Holy month of Ramadan. Katayef is a stuffed folded pancake drenched in syrup topped with pistachios. This special dessert is often stuffed with nuts like pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and/or pecans. Katayef can also be stuffed with cream custard or sweetened cheese.

Katayef is typically fried until golden brown and smothered in a thick, sugary syrup.

To learn how to make Katayef, click here.

Arab American Heritage Month

For Arab American Heritage Month, we celebrate Arab Americans and recognize their invaluable contributions to the political, economic, and cultural landscape of the United States.

To honor this important month, we’ve highlighted two Arab American women, Huda Fahmy and Maysoon Zayid, in the IIA blog.

To learn more about their works in the community, head to https://www.iiakron.org/blog/2024/4/25/arab-american-heritage-month-recommendations

Get Involved

Intern: IIA is currently seeking to fill multiple internship positions, including Communications Intern and Refugee Resettlement Program Intern. If you are interested in applying or learning more, please visit https://www.iiakron.org/join-our-team.

Donations: One major goal IIA has for 2024 is collecting enough blanket donations to give a warm blanket to every new refugee we resettle. Our goal is to raise 500 blankets throughout the year, and we are well on our way to meeting this goal with over 150 blankets already donated. If you want to donate new or lightly used blankets, please contact Murtaza.hajizada@iiakron.org.

Thanks for staying up to date on everything IIA, and we look forward to sharing more information soon!

Arab American Heritage Month Recommendations

Huda F Cares & Maysoon Zayid

For Arab American Heritage Month, IIA would like to highlight Arab-American graphic novelist, Huda Fahmy, and her young adult graphic novel Huda F Cares. This graphic novel follows Huda and her family as they take a road trip from Dearborn, Michigan to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The novel details Huda’s experiences as she travels outside of her Muslim-majority community and is soon thrusted into an environment completely different from her own. Huda F Cares is packed with a plethora of comedic moments as it tackles subjects like friendship, culture shock, Islamophobia, familial relationships, and belonging.

Huda F Cares has received countless praiseworthy reviews and reception for its approach on detailing the experiences of a Young Muslim woman in America. This graphic novel was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

To check out the graphic novel, click here.

To continue the commemoration of Arab-American Heritage Month, IIA would like to spotlight Palestinian-American comic and actress Maysoon Zayid.

Zayid is from Cliffside Park, New Jersey, and has been active in stand-up and television since the early 2000s. All of her comedy revolves around her experiences with being a Muslim Palestinian-American woman and her struggle living with Cerebral Palsy. In her own words, she has described herself simply as “a Palestinian Muslim virgin with Cerebral Palsy, from New Jersey, who is an actress, comedian, and activist.”

Zayid has done much work in the disabled community, specifically in Palestine by holding various art programs for disabled children. In 2003, she co-founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival, which annually showcases Arab-American comics, playwrights, filmmakers, and actors. Zayid has also starred in Adam Sandler’s 2008 film You Don’t Mess with Zohan.

Zayid is considered one of the first Muslim Arab-American women in comedy in America, and she is currently on a national comedy tour.

To get a preview of Zayid’s comedic style, click here to view her TedTalk.