Ethnic Enrichment Commission

Ethnic Enrichment Commission. . , As the City of Kansas City celebrated the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976, Mayor Charles B. Wheeler, focusing on Kansas City's rich cultural roots, formed the Ethnic Heritage Committee. The Committee planned an ethnic Bicentennial Parade, presented ethnic menus at local restaurants, and compiled a written history of contributions made to Kansas City's growth by various ethnic groups. These efforts won the city national recognition from the United States Bicentennial Association., In 1978, Madalyne Brock and Marion Trozzola of the Naturalization Council urged the formation of the Ethnic Enrichment Cultural Council, which hosted their first Ethnic Enrichment Festival in June, 1980, at the Liberty Memorial with 22 countries and 5 booths., The Festival drew the attention of Mayor Richard Berkley and City Councilman Victor Swyden who introduced a resolution to the City Council in 1980, creating the Mayor's Ethnic Enrichment Commission (EEC). Carl DiCapo, John and Carol Duncan, Leonard Pryor, Bob Blue, Chet Ellis, and Louise Birt are the Commission's founders. , The Mission Statement asserts: , The Ethnic Enrichment Commission aspires to foster understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity, to preserve ethnic heritage, to encourage ethnic identity, and to coordinate and facilitate ethnic programs., Some of the programs of the Ethnic Enrichment Commission are the annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival, the EEC Diplomatic Ball, participation in various parades in the area, and providing over 500 ethnic outreach programs throughout the year., The EEC continues to recruit new member countries and has 55-60 the participating countries yearly. One common interest among the countries is education, with the first EEC scholarship being presented in 1993. In 2011 the scholarship was named to honor John T. Duncan and multiple scholarships have been given each year since., The Ethnic Festival, partnered with Kansas City Parks and Recreation, in its current location at Swope Park, is now the longest continuously running event of its type in the Midwest. It is composed of over 50 booths from the member countries and presents over 35 stage shows in one weekend. What started with a parade to celebrate the diversity of the City of Kansas City during the Bicentennial has become an ongoing mission to extend the cultural heritage of Kansas City to all corners of the metropolitan area., Ethnic Enrichment Commission members include: , American Indian, African American, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech and Slovak Republics, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of China, Russia, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Scotland, Serbia, Somalia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Wales.