On a Mission to Help Heal the Community, Saline's DEI Task Force Takes First Step with a Community Cookbook

You still have time to submit your favorite recipes for a cookbook that organizers hope will bring the community together.

Saline City Councillor Kevin Camero-Sulak, the council's liaison to the city's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion task force, told council Monday that the task force was continuing to take recipes for a cookbook it's putting together.

"I would like to remind everyone that the DEI task force is putting together a cultural recipe book and that we are still accepting recipes," Camero-Sulak said.

People are invited to submit recipes and photos and the stories and memories that go with them by email at SalineDEI@gmail.com. You can also upload recipes and more by clicking here.

The Saline DEI Task Force was launched by the city in late 2020 after the community made international headlines for racist incidents. The goal of the task force, which meets twice a month, is to create a culture of inclusion in the city.  The task force will soon begin working on policy recommendations for the city council. It also works to deepen community understanding, encourage continuous dialogue, educate the community and celebrate differences in a variety of ways.

The task force chose a cookbook as a "soft opening," said Kerstin Woodside, a social justice advocate who is president of Saline Supports Our Community and a member of the task force.

"Food is an amazing way to bring people together, showcase our differences and cultures, and learn to appreciate each other," Woodside said.

The recipes, and the stories that go with them, can help build bridges that help bring people together and heal the community.

"Some people weren't happy by the way their community was portrayed last year. And there are a lot of people who saw what happened and said, "Yes, that's what we've experienced here,'" Woodside said. "We want to change that. We want to retell the story of Saline."

Once published, the cookbook will be sold with proceeds benefitting DEI initiatives, Camero-Sulak said.

Woodside said she hopes, once the book is available, that families will try the recipes, read the accompanying stories and have discussions about them.

The DEI task force includes 12 members and two city liaisons. Woodside is the chair of the task force. Kandace Jones is the vice-chair.

For more information on the DEI Task Force, click here, or follow the social media feeds at:

https://www.facebook.com/salinedei

https://www.instagram.com/salinedei

https://twitter.com/salinedei

This article was corrected to name Kerstin Woodside as the chair of the task force and Kandace Jones as vice-chair.

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