Two Decades of the CN

This spread from 2015 shows some interior pages of Jacob Bacall’s book, “Chaldeans in Detroit.”

By Sarah Kittle

The Chaldean News emerged as a crucial voice for a burgeoning community of Chaldean Americans in southeast Michigan at a pivotal time in history. Saddam Hussein was just ousted from Iraq and the Iraqi people began to experience democracy for the first time. Thousands had fled the war-torn country, many of them landing on the shores of America, heading for Michigan and the established immigrant community there.

Driven by a need to maintain a sense of identity, preserve cultural values, and provide a platform for information dissemination within the diaspora, the Chaldean News came into being. Its origins lie in the collective efforts of community leaders, journalists, and passionate individuals devoted to showcasing the triumphs, struggles, and achievements of the Chaldean people.

Most of the publication’s original readers were first-generation Americans, as were the four original publishers: Tony Antone, Vanessa Denha (Garmo), Martin Manna, and Michael Sarafa. “The four of us came together to fill the need in the community for an English language newspaper,” remembers Sarafa.

Why these four? Martin and Vanessa separately came up with the idea for a Chaldean newspaper. Martin is the son of a publisher – you could say newspapers are in his blood, and Vanessa studied journalism at Wayne State University. Tony wanted to unite the community and Mike explains, “I always enjoyed writing and graduated from a writing intensive college (James Madison at MSU).”

“We saw how the Jewish News strengthened the Jewish community and helped them retain a strong cultural identity,” says Martin Manna, the only one of the original publishers still in that position. “We thought we could do the same for our community.”

The 2013 story celebrating 80 years of Michael J. George.

The paper, representing the rich heritage, culture, and stories of the Chaldean people, strove to unite a fledgling community. “All of us had an orientation for community building,” says Sarafa.

Vanessa Denha Garmo, one of the founders, worked with the other publishers to get the paper off the ground and served as the original editor-in-chief, a role she filled for 16 years. “The four of us spent two years working on the magazine before we launched it in February of 2004,” Garmo recalls. “We launched the magazine the same year I got married. I was launching a magazine and planning a wedding at the same time.”

The inaugural issue’s cover told the story of the community at that point in history: “An Ancient People in Modern Times.” It featured a photo of Saddam Hussein after his capture, a picture of the Church’s new leader, Mar Emmanuel III Delly (27 September 1927 – 8 April 2014), and promised a story about Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s war on liquor stores.

In her very first letter from the editor, Garmo paid tribute to Jamal Shallal, Andy Acho, Freddie Najor, Mike Khami, and Bill George, who had published the first Chaldean newspaper in Michigan 40 years before the CN was launched. She also thanked Arthur Horwitz of The Jewish News, who she said was “instrumental in the beginning as he consulted with us.”

“Arthur didn’t think about losing ad dollars for the Jewish News or anything selfish,” says Antone. “He was an advocate for us to charge ahead even though we all knew how difficult the road would be.”

Others who contributed to the effort include Mike George, Rosemary Antone, Jane Shallal, and Diane D’Agostini, along with myriad investors who put up the funds to publish.

The startup was not without challenges. The goal of uniting the Chaldean community, with its numerous viewpoints, into a single voice was (and still is) difficult. The founders struggled to find that voice. “As partners, we didn’t always agree on things. We had different perspectives on issues,” said Garmo, adding, “We also shared a lot of laughs.”

“We met regularly (day and night) to discuss story ideas, potential advertisers, circulation, and anything else a startup business has to deal with,” says Antone. “The most fun was picking our cover story. We tried so hard to make it relevant, timely, and something that would get people engaged in the Chaldean News.”

The 2023 story about the first CACC/CCF mission trip to Iraq.

Asked about early challenges, Sarafa responds, “Being accepted in the community as an alternative to a couple of other publications” was a hurdle, along with “editorial differences between the managers.”

Alex Lumelsky, the original and current Creative Director, recalls the difficulty in trying to please everyone with the first cover. “There were many cooks in the kitchen,” he recalls, “and we ended up with a sort of collage on the cover.” It was designed democratically, and the publishers couldn’t agree on the most important story, so they included them all.

Initially established through grassroots initiatives as a small-scale publication, the Chaldean News steadily evolved into a reputable and influential source of news and information. Its early editions primarily focused on local community events, religious affairs, cultural celebrations, and the dissemination of relevant news from the homeland in Iraq.

“It was a thin, inexpensive production at first, but we grew it and professionalized it over the years,” says Sarafa.

Lumelsky, who has been the creative force behind the Chaldean News’ design for two decades, says he met Martin Manna first out of all the publishers. “He had a creative vision,” Lumelsky recalls, “and felt the community had ‘come of age,’ and reached a point where it needed its own voice.”

The layout was modeled on the Jewish News. Lumelsky, who had worked at the Jewish News previously, was familiar with the format (tabloid), and the layout (a 4-column grid). This made it easier for advertisers, who could place the same ad in multiple outlets. “It all comes down to advertising,” shares Lumelsky.

As we peruse the pages of each January issue of the Chaldean News since the first (in 2005, because the paper was born in February of 2004), some stories just stand out. They are not all cover stories—although those, a veritable timeline of topical treasures, are listed in a separate article—but they are all relevant in some way.

Take the story in the now-defunct section of the paper called “In Our View,” about a (then) recently passed liquor bill that set a state minimum for pricing on liquor. This new law made it illegal for big box stores like Meijer and Costco to set their liquor prices any lower than the state minimum; a common practice that really hurt mom-and-pop stores who couldn’t sell below cost.

It was a victory for the Associated Food Dealers of Michigan (AFD), but as the 19-year-old article states, it wasn’t enough. The story went on to mention the need to raise the base discount (profit) store owners make on liquor sales from the static 17 percent it was then and still is now.

That’s a fight the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce has taken on. A new bill which would raise the profit percentage from 17 to 35 is expected to be reviewed in January and may be in effect, at least in some form, as early as spring. Advocacy is a journey; sometimes it takes decades.

Another notable story in the first January issue detailed the opening of Shenandoah Country Club, a staple of the community that has weathered some storms and come out on top. Subsequent issues followed the organization’s evolution and expansion and eventual development into a private club.

A 2011 issue highlighted the year-old partnership between the CN and the Jewish News, a program that knit the two groups and formed a relationship that exists to this day. In 2015, the CN did a spread on Jacob Bacall’s book, Chaldeans in Detroit. The tome was a definitive look at the developing Chaldean community in southeast Michigan, and a veritable photo album of the warm and rich culture that immigrants brought from their homeland and continue to celebrate here.

Owning the paper meant controlling the narrative. “I think the paper united the community, informed the community, and engaged the community,” reflected Garmo. “We brought awareness on several key issues such as the 2014 [ISIS] invasion in Iraq, something that other media was not covering in depth at the time.”

A personal triumph for Garmo was when one of the readers contacted her after the paper published a story on abortion. The reader, a teenager, was pregnant and wanted to keep the baby but didn’t know what to do. Garmo hooked her up with resources and, just last summer, finally met the “baby” whose life was impacted because of her intervention. “It brought such joy to my heart,” Garmo shared.

“I think the most positive thing about the CN’s history is the job it did telling individual, often heroic, sometimes tragic, stories of our community,” says Sarafa. “There is so much talent, so much growth, so many great organizations, so many good people and positive stories that the Chaldean News was a repository for. Taken together, the 20 years of publications are like a written history of the community over those years.”

One article that Sarafa remembers well has to do with the child abuse scandal/cover up in the Catholic Church. Amid the controversy, he called for Pope Benedict to resign. “It was pretty raw,” recalls Sarafa. “Calling for the Pope to resign caused a scandal in the community and a lot of heartache for my partners, which I regretted.” Pope Benedict later did resign, although for different reasons.

In 2019, the publication had reached a crossroads. It had just started receiving enough ad revenue to operate in the black, and its shareholders were considering their options, including converting to a nonprofit or selling to other investors.

The Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) purchased the paper in August of that year. According to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, Martin Manna said of the purchase, “We felt it made the most sense to remain a community publication, run by a community foundation.”

The CCF made some investments in the Chaldean News, expanding its digital offerings and scope and is currently developing an app. “It’s a paper for the digital age,” says Manna. “We’re on the forefront of new media, and we are excited to see where it takes us.”

Plans are in place to create a working studio for the Chaldean News inside CCF West, a project in West Bloomfield that is still in its preliminary stages but is expected to be completed by late next year. There will be space for taping CNTV segments and recording podcasts as well as editing suites and a stage for live broadcasts.

“We are doing it right,” says Manna, who has tasked his team with touring local studios and creating a “wish list” for the new building. (He gave no guarantees to staff, however.)

Even as the CN embraces the future, there’s still attention being paid to the past. In addition to historical photos that are becoming a regular feature, recently, the CN introduced Arabic versions of some of their stories. “It feels like home for some people,” says Manna, “and we want to encourage that.”

Over the years, the Chaldean News expanded its scope, embracing technological advancements to reach a wider audience through digital platforms, transcending geographical boundaries to connect Chaldeans worldwide. This publication continues to play a pivotal role in preserving the Chaldean heritage, fostering unity, and serving as a bridge between the diaspora and the ancestral homeland, reflecting the resilience and vibrant spirit of the Chaldean community.

“I am so proud of how far the Chaldean News has come,” says Antone. “It is a treasure for the entire Chaldean community.”