(l-r): Latosha Baldwin, Diplomatic Corp. member for the International Service Council (ISC); Robert M. Glick, interpreter under contract to the U.S. Dept. of State; Mohammed Tijjini, Conseiller of Belgium; William D. Smothers, publisher, Speakin' Out News; and Kenneth Anderson, USANA Health Sciences. (Not pictured) David Person, editorial board member and columnist, The Huntsville Times.
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Conseiller Mohammed Tijjini, Minority Advisor to the President of the Reformation Party of Belgium, visited Speakin' Out News on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008, during a diplomatic U.S. tour. During the visit, Tijjini met with William Smothers, founder of Speakin' Out News; David Person, reporter from The Huntsville Times; and Kenneth Anderson, of USANA Health Sciences and Calhoun College to discuss minority print media and minority involvement in mainstream media.
"We were honored to have the conseiller to visit our area and our paper," Smothers said. "The discussion went into politics, government regulation of print media and the challenges in addressing differences in culture among the people of Belgium."
Smothers said Tijjini inquired about the development and management of minority media outlets and discussed complications media outlets face in Belgium, such as barriers in language and education levels.
Tijjini's focuses for the U.S. tour also included gathering information about changes in domestic security policies since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; observing Muslims in America and obtaining their perspectives on diversity in society; researching history of the American Civil Rights Movement; interacting with African Americans and investigating their perspective on the 2008 Presidential election; and meeting with members of the Jewish community and gathering their ideas on fighting discrimination and promoting interfaith dialogue.
While in Alabama, Tijjini also met with leaders from Oakwood University, the NAACP Huntsville Chapter, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Miles College, the Alabama State Black Archives Research Center and Museum, 103.1 WEUP Radio Station, and Alabama State Representatives Earl Hillard Jr. and Merika Coleman. In addition to serving as the minority advisor, Tijjini is also the founder of the Institut Liberal de Formation et d'Animation Culturelles and previously held positions as social mediator, debt mediator and television program creator and producer.
Tijjini's visit was endorsed by The International Visitor Leadership Program. IVLP, designed to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The above article appeared in Speakin' Out News.
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