Introducing Semehar Ghebrekidan
Allow us to shine a well-deserved spotlight on Semehar Ghebrekidan, a passionate advocate for community inclusion in Siouxland. Originally from Sioux Falls, SD, Semehar’s educational journey led her to SDSU, where she completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees. For four years, Sioux City has been her cherished home, where she resides with her wonderful husband, Logan, and their cheerful pup, Duke!
Meet Semehar "Sem"
You work for the City of Sioux City as the Community Inclusion Liaison, can you tell us about some of your responsibilities?
Certainly! Here are the duties of my job:
- Build and sustain relationships with underrepresented groups.
- Assist City departments and community partners in identifying structural and institutional barriers to social equity for underrepresented groups and developing solutions to overcome these obstacles.
- Develop social equity strategies and tools to evaluate programs, policies, and practices with City staff and key community partners to improve service delivery via inclusivity.
- Develop programs and workshops that advance understanding of how diversity, equity, and inclusion impact the experiences of community members in underrepresented groups so City staff and key community partners can improve service delivery.
- Mediate intergroup conflicts involving underrepresented groups and develop staff and community members’ skills to handle difficult conversations and conflict within and across cultural communities.
- Develop relationships and coordinate with cultural leaders from underrepresented groups to facilitate the engagement of residents in identifying contributions, needs, and barriers affecting their communities.
- Partner with City departments and critical partners during decision-making and other processes to adapt policies and services to meet the needs of various groups.
- Build and maintain relationships with community partners engaged in social equity work by contributing to mutually beneficial projects, identifying opportunities to collaborate, and attending meetings and events to stay informed of one another’s work.
- Work with cultural identity groups who do not share the cultural identity of the person holding this position.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with City Officials, relevant local agencies, fellow employees, and the general public.
- Serve as the point of contact and provide education for those new to this community and part of an underrepresented group who need access to City services and support.
This sounds like a lot, but I want to make Sioux City a more intentionally inclusive, equitable and accessible place to live. We can do so many things to make this community better for everyone. I hope to engage with all people who live here, anyone who wants to be a change agent and get change going!
Do you have any exciting events coming up?
Yes sir! At the City of Sioux City, we have the “Sounds of West 7th” event on September 30th and the 1st ever-Multicultural Talent Show on October 19th! The Sounds of West 7th Event is here to celebrate the history of Historic West 7th! From the music to the people and everything in between, this event will be a new and exciting staple to the vibrancy of West 7th! Did we mention it is free to attend? The event will be held from 11 am to 3 pm at Yummi Blox, 700 W. 7th Street. Enjoy the music, and the food, and participate in a walking tour to learn more about the importance of Historic West 7th Street!
The Inclusive Sioux City Advisory Committee created the first-ever Sioux City Multicultural Talent Show. ISCAC wanted to allow our local Sioux City communities to have fun and potentially win big! This talent show will focus on the talents and gifts only sometimes highlighted in our community and allow folks to represent their artistic talents on the big stage! Tickets are $10 a piece; you can get them at the door! Each ticket comes with one vote for your favorite performer!
What is your biggest challenge?
Regarding my city role, there are two significant challenges:
1. It is difficult when working with people who insist on keeping things as they are and are not proactively involved with the changes coming our way. We have so much diversity in our community. Suppose we continue to commit ourselves (organizations, businesses, practices, etc) to the rules of the past. In that case, we continue not to understand the needs of people right now and maintain a sense of “delusion” that it won’t affect us; reality will hit hard on some when we don’t have workers because we didn’t learn how to be welcoming when we have an influx of lawsuits and insufficient media coverage. I am a quote person, so here is one for this: “Navigate by the same star, unwilling to change, and you find yourself not only off-course but lost.”- Richard Bash
2. Many people in roles in this community need to look at the damage they cause and leave said roles. It is real growth when someone looks at a position and says, “I can’t give anything new to this role,” or “I don’t know how to serve this population,” shifts gears. I hope to surround myself with a group of mentors that tell me it may be time to shift when it comes. These two quotes come to mind: “When you stay too long in a job, you create a comfort zone: you eventually become a street sweeper of the organization, and you stop contributing.” – Tabitha Naylor and “Too long in one position and a company can become complacent and inefficient. Someone new can shake up the old and remind them of the reason for their being.” – Roger McNamee
It's 2023, and you have a side hustle like most folks nowadays. Can you tell us about it?
Yes! I actually have two side hustles. My African mother is very proud. After hours, I am the founder of Sematime Creations LLC and 1/3 Founder of IDEA LLC. At IDEA LLC, I put the PARTY in party planning. Whereas at IDEA LLC, we work with companies and organizations for their Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility needs. We provide training, strategic planning and more
How did you get into Sematime Creations LLC?
I always love throwing a party, and I KNOW I am good at it. I love a theme, balloons, all of that! When the opportunity came to professional use my services for the first time, I was so excited! Thanks to Dave Bernstein from State Steel, I was able to showcase the best of the best for my first paid gig, and it just launched that side hustle to new heights! Thank you, Dave! It has also become a way of me giving back! I often do balloon setups for free for ISCAC, Women Aware, and other nonprofit organizations throughout the community.
If someone is looking for your services, what's the best way to contact you?
What do you like to do in your spare time?
In a few words, can you give us your thoughts on Go Local Siouxland, our vision and mission?
This is great Sem, before we wrap up do you have anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for reading the Go Local Siouxland Blog! We hope our blog has provided valuable insights and information about the local businesses, events, and communities in Siouxland. Remember to support and shop locally, and stay tuned for more updates and articles from us. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact us ([email protected]). Until next time, stay connected and stay local Siouxland!