• / News

News

New Americans Street Festival kicks off NIIC 2012

 (Baltimore, MD)  The 2012 National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC) is coming to Maryland with an emphasis on strengthening diverse communities across the nation.  Baltimore will host the Fifth Annual Conference, sponsored by CASA de Maryland and the National Partnership for New Americans, September 22-25 at the Baltimore Hilton Hotel. The conference will focus on empowering immigrants to build, stronger healthier communities and ensuring the immigrants have the opportunity to become integral members of the U.S. communities they call home.

Under the theme, "Celebrando la diversidad", NIIC 2012 will get a jump start with the first ever New Americans Street Festival on historic Eutaw Street at the intersection of Pratt Street, from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.  Lt. Governor Anthony Brown will deliver the keynote address at the festival, that also features an awe-inspiring Naturalization Ceremony, during which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Associate Director Rendell Jones, will administer the Oath of Allegiance to 50 candidates for citizenship.

The celebration of diversity continues with cultural and vocal presentations by performers from around the state, accented by introductions of the Governor's Ethnic and Cultural Commissions.  Performers include the Maryland Indian Tourism Association, Mabuhay Inc., the Howard County Chinese School, Bailes de Mi Tierra, Natananjali School of Dance and the St. Veronica's Steel Drum Orchestra and more.  The New Americans Street Festival is sponsored by the Governor's Office on Community Initiatives, the Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation, the Department of Human Resources and the Baltimore Hilton Hotel.

Port Discovery Children's Museum, the Maryland Insurance Administration, the Baltimore Hilton Hotel are among the vendors that will provide a backdrop for this celebratory family-friendly event, that is FREE and open to the public.

Governor Martin O'Malley, Ben Jealous, President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas are featured speakers at the conference, along with a wide range of panel experts.

For more information on the New Americans Street Festival contact the Governor's Ethnic Commissions Office at 
410-767-2937.  For more information on NIIC 2012, visit www.integrationconference.org.  Media interested in attending the conference are asked to contact Diane Quest at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Information