Time Marches On: 20 Years of March Covers

By Sarah Kittle

Fittingly, the first March cover in 2004 (and only the second CN issue ever) was about the community having a voice. Featuring a young Shoki Konja from Chaldean Voice Radio, the article told the story of the radio show that began as “Voice of the Chaldean Youth” and was broadcast from a closet below the stairs of Mother of God Church. Chaldean Voice Radio, going on 45 years old, is still going strong. The Chaldean Community Foundation is building a studio in its new center in West Bloomfield for the program. Mother of God Church is celebrating 75 years.

Also still going strong is Carey Denha and his cover band “Mega 80s.” Featured on the front of the March issue in 2005, Denha now owns Ferndale’s popular concert venue Magic Bag, which he purchased in 2014. Magic Bag closed for a while during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Denha became an activist and fought for pandemic assistance for music venues, and reopened again in summer of 2021. He’s a bit of a local legend.

The cover story in March 2006 was about the mass migration of talent leaving the state of Michigan, including many from the community. As the opportunity to get in on a franchise spread across the country, so did Chaldean businesspeople. While economic prospects in Michigan were falling due to the decline of the Big Three automakers, opportunities in places like Texas and Las Vegas arose for franchises like Wireless Toyz and Wireless Giant.

As Chaldeans were blazing a trail across the states, they desired representation in the areas where they worked, lived and raised their families. The March 2007 cover featured Richard Sulaka and the accompanying story was about his run for mayor of Warren. Although he was ultimately unsuccessful in that effort, he had a career of civil service and his son Richard Suluka II pursued a career in law, serving in government positions including a stint as General Counsel and Human Resources Director for the City of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Since that time, several Chaldeans have held elected office.

The next five years devoted the March issue to weddings, offering guidance on everything from premarital classes to wedding day decorum. Showing the latest trends and sharing tips from wedding experts such as Lawrence and Andy (you know who they are), these “Wedding Guides” also offered ways to save money on expenses and ideas for unique and budget-friendly honeymoons.

Then in 2013, we experienced “A Season of Change.” There was a commotion in the Catholic Church when Pope Benedict XVI announced he was stepping down from the role. Cardinal Raphael Sako had just been named Patriarch of the Babylon of the Chaldeans and Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim had submitted his resignation to the pope. It was indeed a season of change.

Change seemed to breathe some new life into the community, and the 2014 cover (“A Spiritual Renewal”) and 2015 cover (“Resurgence of Faith”), reflected that feeling. 2016 showcased Steve Francis and Joey Marougi, childhood friends who grew up wanting to be cops; one would go on to serve in high office at the Department of Homeland Security and one would climb the ranks within the FBI.

2017 was a difficult year for many Chaldeans but in March, things were looking good for asylum seekers. Then-president Donald Trump had just signed an executive order that gave preference to Christian immigrants from Iraq and Syria. The arrests and deportation would occur later that year. In 2018, we were still trying to stop the deportation of Iraqi nationals but were gaining ground in court, as told by Ashourina Slewa, whose father spent way too long in an Ohio jail.

In 2019, editor Vanessa Denha-Garmo asked the men of the community a question: “Are you your brother’s keeper?” The answer was a resounding “yes.” From Genesis 4:9 to The Breakfast Club, faith groups consisting solely of men of were discovered meeting and bolstering each other on their Christian walk.

The 2020 cover showed a silhouette of President Trump giving the “thumbs up.” The story is about how, on the plane trip to visit automakers in Warren, Congressman John Moolenaar bent the president’s ear and filled him in on the plight of Chaldeans caught between ICE and ISIS; thereafter, Trump publicly promised relief.

2021 saw the ascension of Chaldeans in all walks of leadership, from elected officials to appointed officers. This was the year that the community celebrated Yasmine Poles filling the vacancy on the state bench that Hala Jarbou had freed up when she rose to federal court and Nadine Kalasho’s appointment to serve on the Commission for Middle Eastern American Affairs.

In 2022, the Chaldean News heralded the 100th anniversary of the order of Daughters of Mary Immaculate, a women’s group that was founded to help the poor, orphaned and uneducated in Iraq. Conceived by a priest in Baghdad, Fr. Anton Zebouni, as a way to keep the youth in Iraq, ironically the order has spread to many corners of the earth including Michigan.

Last year, the bright and lively March cover showcased Genevieve Kashat, an adolescent entrepreneur competitor on Kids Baking Championship who stole our hearts with her macaroons. Because time marches on, in the not-too-distant future, we expect to see Genevieve grace our pages once again. We hope to see you there, too.