Our initial contact with Mayor Micozzie was his wanting to train his entire staff on cultural sensitivities in a town that is shaped by so many different cultures; one would be hard pressed to stay abreast of it all. He recognized that diversity is something to be celebrated amidst the challenges he and his staff may face from having to be sensitized to the needs of each culture.
Celebrating cultural diversity has now become a tradition in the township of Upper Darby, a suburb of Philadelphia. In its second year this September, the Upper Darby International Festival show cased how diverse and welcoming the township has become under the leadership of Mayor Thomas Micozzie, who is equally focused on rebranding the township’s image and improving its business climate.
Donald Bonnett is Council President of the Township of Upper Darby. He has worked with Mayor Micozzie to advance the administration’s welcoming policy and its goal of forging a more diverse community with the immigrant population
From the School District, Police Department, the Sikh Community, and the Multicultural Commission, FunTimes Magazine has interviewed four members of the community on Mayor Micozzie’s Agenda for Upper Darby.
Upper Darby was a community built in the 1600s through the influx of immigrants settling in the area. Tom Judge and former Mayor Raymond Shay took note of their community’s history of immigrants and brainstormed ways to engage their new community members into feeling welcome.
Under the leadership of Portia Kamara and the MCFS board of directors, MCFS began the provision of culturally targeted and interconnected advocacy, educational, social, prevention, health and recreation support services aimed at bridging the cultural, linguistic and communication gaps faced by Liberians and other African/Caribbean immigrants and empowering them to succeed in their resettled community.
From 2011, the Honorable Margo L. Davidson has proudly served as a Democratic Member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Davidson was elected Chair of the powerful SE Delegation that spans 8 counties & 35 members outside of Philadelphia which played a major role to bringing PA House Democratic leadership back to the region resulting in the election of Hon. Jordan Harris as Whip & Hon. JoAnna McClinton as Caucus Chair.
Dr. Carolina Baltazar Harris is president of the African Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean Latin American Descent- PAC. The ACACLAD-PAC is a network of change-makers of African and Caribbean descent who use their coalition to voice and resolve concerns that affect their communities. As a pioneer of social change, she leads the group in helping Afro-Caribbean communities have a stronger voice and better resources in Upper Darby and Yeadon communities
Since 2013, Dr. Sekela Coles has served as Councilwoman for the 7th District of Upper Darby. As the only African American elected to the council, Coles is a testament to the possibilities of greatness and growth in the growing Upper Darby community
Sheikh Siddique is the first immigrant and Asian American councilman in the history of Upper Darby. He was honored to be a part of a township that thrives on diversity and unity. He prides himself on representing a multicultural, multilanguage, multinational city.
