A list of upcoming events organized or supported by Baltimore Sister Cities and our sister city committees (Changwon, South Korea; Gbarnga, Liberia; Kawasaki, Japan; Luxor & Alexandria, Egypt; Odessa, Ukraine; Piraeus, Greece; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Xiamen, China) and our affiliates. Events include:
March – July, 2021
Middle Eastern American Authors Series at Montgomery County Public Libraries
A series of author conversations hosted by Montgomery County Public Library and the Middle Eastern Advisory Group (MEAGG) in Montgomery County. The events are held on the third Tuesday of the month, 4-8pm ET for 6 months with 6 nations represented, including Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine and Egypt. Events will be moderated by Debbie Trent, MEAGG chair and Karen Leggett, co-chair of the Maryland Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt) and co-chair of Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC).
Co-sponsored by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC).
May 2021
Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Imagination Celebration
Pratt Library hosts Imagination Celebration (formerly known as the Fairy Tale festival) throughout the month of May. This signature event celebrates creativity and honors diverse voices and experiences within children’s literature and our communities. Baltimore Sister Cities offers fun, free activities for kids from some of the countries around the world where we have sister cities:
May 6: Pratt Virtual Storytime Live! — Changwon, South Korea
May 22: Dutch Tile Painting — Rotterdam, The Netherlands
May 22: Chinese Fan: Take & Make Kit — Xiamen, China
More information: baltimoresistercities.org/library-may-2021
Supported by Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee (BCSCC), Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC), and Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee (BXSCC).
May 27, 2021
Our Home Too
A Forum in Support of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2021
Time: 7-8:30pm
Format: Zoom webinar
Admission: Free (advance registration required).
More info & to register: aapi2021.eventbrite.com
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), a time when we recognize the history and achievements of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Unfortunately, this year’s celebrations are marred by increasing rates of targeted violence against AAPI individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions are rooted in our nation’s history of periodic exclusion, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia which have long been juxtaposed with the vitality, promise, and mutual benefit endowed by our diversity of backgrounds and experiences.
Please join Baltimore Sister Cities and our partners in solidarity, community and celebration as we honor the invaluable contributions of AAPI communities in Baltimore and Maryland. During this panel discussion, we will explore what AAPI heritage means to all of us. How have AAPI communities contributed to Baltimore and American history? What are AAPI communities currently doing to contribute to culture, the arts, activism, and public service in our region? What new directions are they calling for?
Organized by Baltimore Sister Cities in honor of our Asian sister city committees (Changwon, South Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; Xiamen, China). Event Partners: Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) and the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University (AA&CC).
June 9, 2021
Women Spanning the Globe
Annual event hosted by World Trade Center Institute (WTCI)
Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm EDT
Location: Online
More information & to register: www.wtci.org/wsglc
For 15 years, the Women Spanning the Globe Leadership Conference has been the premier destination for curious, talented, and ambitious female professionals. The World Trade Center Institute curates unique and inspiring conferences where female leaders and innovators inspire, connect, and learn.
Baltimore Sister Cities is a member of WTCI.
July 20, 2021
A conversation with Egyptian American author Pauline Kaldas
Time: 7-8pm EDT
Location: Online
More info & to register: mcpl.libnet.info/event/4766716
Author Pauline Kaldas will discuss her work Looking Both Ways and other works. Pauline Kaldas teaches English and creative writing at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. Immigrating from Egypt as a child with her parents, she has twice returned to live and teach in Cairo. She will be talking about her own collection of essays, Looking Both Ways, as well as her essay in The Penguin Book of Migration Literature about departure and return. Moderated by Karen Leggett, co-chair of the Maryland Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt) and co-chair ofBaltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLSACC).
Part of the “Middle Eastern and South Asian American Authors Series” at Montgomery County Libraries. In partnership with Montgomery County Middle Eastern American Advisory Group, Office of Community Partnerships.
Co-sponsored by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC)
September 2021
Xiamen China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT)
Stay tuned for details.
Supported by Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Commitee (BXSCC).
October 2021
Hermes Expo
Annual Greek-American international business networking trade show. Baltimore-Piraeus committee represents Baltimore and the State of Maryland at this annual event, promoting tourism and business and economic development.
Details to come on the Hermes expo website.
Promoted by Baltimore-Pireaus Sister City Committee (BPSCC).
Fall 2021
15th Annual CHINA Town Hall
Stay tuned for details.
Annual event hosted by National Committee for U.S.–China Relations. Supported by Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Commitee (BXSCC).
Seagull Mamma — A Performance Piece about Trash and Recycling
Rotterdam-based, American-born theatre artist and educator Kathie diStefano visits Baltimore each year to do workshops.
Ms. Kathie is part of the artist roster at Young Audiences Arts for Learning, Maryland and she performs “Seagull Mamma” at several schools in our region each semester. Public schools can sign up on the Young Audiences website to schedule the “Seagull Mamma” performance for this spring or in the future, for kids in kindergarten through grade 2. Young Audiences can provide subsidies to public schools to significantly reduce the cost of the performance by up to 80%; schools can inquire with Young Audiences for details.
This interactive show takes young audience members on a journey through the eyes of a seagull mamma who mistakes trash for fish while hunting for food for her young. The term ‘plastic soup’ is introduced; lakes, rivers, and seas that have so much plastic trash that no fish can live there.
The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee is also planning a virtual exchange program for Kathie diStefano to conduct with middle school students in Baltimore and Rotterdam during the 2021-2022 school year.
Supported by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).
October 2021
24th Annual Meeting of International Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Stay tuned for more details.
Supported by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC).
Baltimore’s annual Greek Food & Cultural Festival
Stay tuned for more details.
Supported by Baltimore-Pireaus Sister City Committee (BPSCC).
Note: due to the evolving worldwide COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we advise you to check each event’s page or event organizers for the latest updates about the event, before you go to attend an event.
