I firmly support the candidacy of Sharon El-Amin for one of the two At-Large seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education up for election on 6 November 2018.
El-Amin is the longtime owner of El-Amin’s
Fish House, which she managed so astutely as to earn numerous awards and
recognitions, including the Start Up Business of the Year 2002, 2010 Small
Business of the Year, 2010 Longevity & Sustained Impact Award, and the 2010
Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained Nominee at Women Venture. Located for many
years on West Broadway near Penn Avenue North, the business continues as a
catering enterprise run along with El-Amin’s many philanthropic endeavors as
Social Coordinator in behalf of Masjid An’Nur.
El-Amin’s husband of 26 years, Makram El-Amin, is imam of this important
community of faith, at the mosque located on Lyndale Avenue North just across
from Cub Foods.
El-Amin is a towering presence in North
Minneapolis, well-known to those who, like her, are ever endeavoring to make
the Northside as economically and academically successful as it is culturally
vibrant. On the second and fourth
Saturday of every month, El-Amin cooks and prepares 100 hot meals for families
in need. El-Amin is currently the President of Minneapolis North Polar
Parent organization and a member of North High School Site Council, positions similar
to those in which she has served at other school attended by her three children. Two of her children are graduates of
Minneapolis Public Schools; the other
currently attends North High School .
El-Amin has lived in Minneapolis for 27
years; for a quarter of a century she has
dedicated her life in that city to the pursuits of small business ownership, keenly
focused and loving parenthood, involvement in the public schools, and active
participation in the quest for community betterment. The social service agency Emerge is a salient
example of her many associations for the good of the Northside community and all
Minneapolis.
Having known of Sharon El-Amin’s multiple
community commitments, I sat with her on the evening of Sunday, 7 October, to
discuss an array of issues pertinent to the Minneapolis Pubic Schools. We found resonance on a multitude of issues,
including my own passions for knowledge-intensive curriculum, training and
support for teachers capable of imparting such a curriculum, highly intentional
tutoring for students languishing below grade level, and expanded outreach to
families struggling with dilemmas of poverty and functionality. As a candidate and future member of the MPS Board
of Education, El-Amin emphasizes advocacy for greater accountability on the
part of Minneapolis Public Schools officials and board members for the success
of all students; greatly expanded
community engagement; and absolute
transparency in all aspects pertinent to administration, finances, and
programming in the district.
I am not easy to convince. I have seen many personages come and go, make
big promises, then move on with much work left to be done. Sharon El-Amin has stayed and committed her
considerable energies for the betterment of all people in Minneapolis for a
quarter of a century. She has convinced
me that her priority will be the precious young people for whom she and I have
worked for a comparably extended period of time, which in association with the
Minneapolis Public Schools means the provision of an academic program of
excellence.
Sharon El-Amin is a loving, caring person,
with a heart that wishes the best for all people and a vision for the unity of
humanity in our cultural diversity. She
will be what an At-Large member of the MPS Board of Education should be: a representative for the entire city’s
students and their families.
With great enthusiasm, I urge you to vote on Tuesday,
6 November 2018, for Sharon El-Amin as candidate for one of the two At-Large
seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education.
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