MOSCOW — The City of Moscow is accepting nominations for the 2023 Ismat Ara and Abdul Mannan Sheikh Community Unity Award. The deadline for submissions is 5;00 p.m. on Friday, October 6.
Nominees must meet the following three requirements:
- Significant contributions to community unity and human understanding in and around Moscow
- Significant efforts on behalf of diversity, inclusion, and human rights in Moscow
- Outstanding commitment to community, public service, and the City of Moscow
Nominations should be no more than one page explaining the nomination, and be sent to the Moscow Human Rights Commission, c/o Karen Potter, Moscow Police Department, P.O. Box 9203, Moscow, or delivered by hand by the deadline. Submissions may also be sent by email to hrc@ci.moscow.id.us.
Following the nomination period, the Moscow Human Rights Commission will review all submissions and forward recommendations to Mayor Art Bettge.
Every two years, the Sheikh Community Unity Award is given to Moscow citizens who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to community unity and who have a history of significant effort on behalf of diversity, inclusion, and human rights in the Moscow area. This award honors the Sheikhs, who demonstrated the meaning of community unity in their personal lives and outreach to Moscow. For many years, Ismat Ara and Abdul Mannan Sheikh hosted the annual community Thanksgiving meal, which was open to anyone.
Past recipients of the Sheikh Community Unity Award have included Joann Muneta, S.M. Ghanzafar, Dan Weaver, Wilhelmina “Toni” Sarai Clark, Carla Kappler, Tom Hansen, Jessica Bearman, Kay Keskinen and Kathy Sprague.
The 2023 recipient will be announced during a public ceremony in November. The award includes a plaque and inclusion of the recipient’s name on a central plaque which is housed in City Hall. The honoree is also added to a commemorative stone plaque in East City Park that honors the Sheikhs.