Multicultural Committee Nominees Reflect Elk Grove’s Rainbow

The members of the City of Elk Grove’s are Mexican and Japanese-American, Nigerian and Filipino.

Asians, African-Americans and Latinos are all well-represented, though none of the committee’s members appears to be white alone, based on information in applications they submitted.

But as one of the 10 Elk Grove residents appointed by city council members to the panel Wednesday night noted, diversity isn’t just about ethnicity.

“People hear multiculturalism and they think about race, but they have to realize it’s an umbrella term. It covers people with disabilities, different religious views, the military community,” said Kennessa Marshall, a newcomer to Elk Grove who in many ways exemplifies the city’s changing face.

Marshall’s father is African-American and her mother is a former activist in the Chicano rights movement. Her husband, of West Indian heritage, serves in the U.S Navy.

Aside from Marshall, the committee members include a retired minister, a librarian, a community college student, a restaurant owner and more than one activist in .

At least one appointee practices Sikhism, a religion that became a topic of conversation in Elk Grove earlier this year after two of its adherents were .

Committee members start work Nov. 15. Their mandate includes organizing a multicultural festival, but the details of that event along with the committee’s other duties are open to interpretation.

Marshall says she wants to offer scholarships to high school students who prepare presentations at the festival about what multiculturalism means to them.

One group that won’t be represented on the committee: non-citizen immigrants. The application process required nominees to be registered voters, excluding those Elk Grovians who are legal United States residents but have not yet attained citizenship.

In response to a question from Councilmember Sophia Scherman, City Clerk Jason Lindgren said that guideline had been in effect for all city committees since about 2005, though it’s not required by law.

“We’re getting so much diversity in Elk Grove that we may need to take a look at it at a later time,” said Scherman.

Here’s the complete list of committee members and their occupations:

Rosa Avila, mobile pantry coordinator, Elk Grove Food Bank Services

Jerry Cummings, retired educational consultant

Norm DeYoung,  retired research analyst

Newton Ekpo, retired minister

Orlando Fuentes, retired social worker

Evelyn Laluan, personnel analyst, Elk Grove Unified School District

Kennessa Marshall, marriage and family therapist

Scott Matsumoto, library technician, Elk Grove Unified School District

Marie Mertz, owner, Todo un Poco restaurant

Andres Ramos, student at Cosumnes River College and laborer, United Van Lines