MARCH 2023

NOTEWORTHY
CULTURE
Keeper of the Dream: Sterling Heights
immigrant finds her voice as advocate
for linguistic justice
Mena Hannakachl, an OU major in professional and digital
writing is among the recipients of the 2023 Oakland
University Keeper of the Dream Award.
One of Mena Hannakachl’s writing professors
once told her that to thrive in the real
world, she would need to put the languages
she learned while growing up in Iraq
and the United Arab Emirates aside and
conform to standard English.
She refused, and now she’s a scholar
who advocates for linguistic justice and a
mentor to other young writers who speak
English as a second or third language.
Mena was only 4 years old when her
family fled the unrest in Baghdad and
moved to Dubai. Her father, who owned a
successful small business, dreamed of life
in America. In 2015, he moved his wife and
their four children to Michigan.
Mena is now a junior majoring in professional
and digital writing at Oakland
University. She is a recipient of OU’s Keeper
of the Dream Award Scholarship, which
recognizes students demonstrating exceptional
leadership through their involvement
on campus by breaking down racial
and cultural stereotypes and promoting
racial understanding. “The same work I
was told to put aside are the contributions
that were celebrated and validated by the
award,” she said. “I’ve come full circle.”
– Gina Joseph, The Macomb Daily
From left to right: Ron Khoury, CCF Lobbyist;
Rep. Nate Shannon (Shelby & Sterling Heights);
Rep. Angela Witwer (Lansing); Martin Manna;
Rep. Christine Morse (Kalamazoo); Rep. Ranjeev
Puri (Canton); Rep. Jasper Martus (Flushing
& Flint); and Rep. Will Snyder (Muskegon).
COMMUNITY
State Reps visit CCF
Seven state representatives visited the Chaldean
Community Foundation on February 13 to learn
about the daily services that the CCF provides to
40,000 clients annually. Leadership shared with
them priorities for the CCF and the Chaldean American
Chamber of Commerce (CACC), which includes
increasing funding for both the multicultural line
and from the Department of Education for the CCF,
and supporting upcoming bills on lottery and liquor
commissions for the CACC. Both organizations are
focused on providing more affordable housing.
LEGAL NEWS
Double Duty: Editor of Law Review serves
as president of moot court
Nancy Zieah, a liquor store owner/operator
turned law school student, appreciates
the fact that many students
at Cooley Law School are—like her—not
traditional law school students right
out of undergrad.
Zieah started her academy trajectory
with an undergrad degree from
the University of Michigan-Dearborn,
where she was on the honor roll for all
terms. Fluent in Arabic and Chaldean,
she was a delegate in the Model Arab
Nancy Zieah
League and was a member of Amnesty
International.
“I studied political science because it casts a wide
net over societal problems and solutions,” she says. “I
particularly liked studying international politics and
social justice reform. This is probably
what drew me to things like the Jessup
International Moot Court competition
at Cooley, and the expungement fairs.”
The current president of the Melissa
Mitchell Moot Court, Zieah
earned the Trinity Term Top Advocate
Award in 2021 for the highest score
in a single round. Last year she was
a member of the Philip C. Jessup International
Law Moot Court team
that ranked amongst top 30 national
teams in Advanced Rounds.
Her experience with expungement
came from volunteering for Safe and Just, an organization
that hosts expungement fairs in the metro-
Detroit area.
SPIRITUAL
Lenten Evening
of Reflection
Every year the Chaldean Cultural Center hosts a
Lenten Dinner evening with a special emphasis
on prayer and reflection. This year the keynote
speaker is Father Aram, speaking on “Shairwatha,”
Remembrance of the Saints, something
that took place in Iraqi villages before Easter
during Lent. Father Aram chaired a crisis team in
Alqosh and established a medical charity clinic
among other trauma-related work. He speaks
Syriac, Arabic, and English.
Shenandoah Country Club
Thursday March 9, 6-9 p.m.
Email info@chaldeanculturalcenter.org or
call 248-681-5050 or for information.
10 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2023