001Yeah. But um may I please move the citizen participation to >> Okay. >> Yeah. I'd like to move the citizen participation to be ahead of special reports. If there are no objections. >> Seeing no objections, then we can move on with citizen participation. >> Citizens wishing to address the board on agenda and non-aggenda items for actions who are signed in by 7:10 or 10 minutes after we start our meeting by submitting a blue card to the board secretary may speak at this time. The board may not be in a position to respond to non-aggenda items. Therefore, speakers should not anticipate an immediate response to their comments or questions. For the benefit of all concern, do not mention the names of students or school district employees. Please keep your comments as brief as possible. There's a
0023minut time limit on comments made to the board. And our first speaker is Jihad Bun who speak on naming a gym after coach Bun. >> Good evening. My name is Jied Bedun. I'm a proud Ford alumni, current teacher, and the eldest son of the late uh coach Abraham Bedun. When I first read some of the comments under the Ford alumni page, I was genuinely hurt. and who wouldn't be when you see others responding with ignorance and negativity towards your father. So, I wanted to take a moment to educate everyone here on who Abraham Beun was along with any updates to the gym proposal. Haj Abraham Juice Bedun coached varsity basketball for 27 years and served as its school counselor for over 30 years. While there's no way to capture all that he did in 3
003minutes, I want to focus on his coaching accolades as this gym proposal is why most of us are here. Coach Beun is the winningest coach and not for history and it isn't even close. He has over 300 career wins, nearly $250 of which come at the varsity level at a Ford. While other coaches in the community were and still are charging $50 to $200 per camper, Coach Bun held free summer basketball camps for over 20 years for our city youth. Each kid was taught the fundamentals of basketball, given a free basketball, a shirt, and a chance for a trophy. Coach Bedun donated hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money on a counselor's salary for the basketball program at Zel. from new backboards, jerseys, warm-ups, camps, scholarships, workout machines. He gave the program and
004our kids everything and never asked for a dime in return. All that and never missing a single day in his 30 plus year career. That's who he was. In regards to the proposal itself, a few people brought the scale of the project into question and on behalf of the tribute committee, I wanted to elaborate. First off, what was presented was a draft proposal. Community feedback was expected. After receiving it, we emailed the school board with the following proposed changes. First, for the mural, with the addition of the new scoreboard, the util mural currently in place needs to be redone. We proposed revising this to focus on Zel Ford and an idea we had featured a silhouette of coach Vun surrounded by a huddle of athletes, male and female, from kids to teens um and Ford
005unz. This updated design would best capture the inclusivity and diversity of the athletes coach Bon served throughout his career while maintaining the school spirit and our diverse student body. Uh in regards to the showcase, the hallway has a space. So, we propose adding an adjoining Ford Hall of Fame showcase to recognize all of our outstanding coaches from the past like coach Pat Wa, Jack Bridges, and the recently retired Janet Smith, as well as record-breaking athletes like Derek Low and citywide basketball scoring leader Jal Bedun. This edition would not only honor coach Bun, but celebrate the broader and diverse legacy of athletics while allowing room to include future honores. Lastly, I want to address the alumni group as my posts on Facebook were blocked by the group admin and their president. It became clear that the
006president only want not wanted one side of the story and looking him up, I found that he was actually on the tribute committee and as president, he was supposed to be the alumni's voice. So ask yourself, why didn't he raise your points during the numerous meetings we held and help us craft a unifying proposal? Why did he only show up to one meeting, bail, and then wrongfully state that our diverse committee was only composed of friends and family? Most of this could have been avoided if he collaborated with us and we'd have loved the insight from the alumni group. Coach Beun was for everyone. He had an open door policy that welcomed thousands of students from all races, religions, genders, and creeds. His legacy should be one of unity and not divisiveness. A legacy that
007embodies the diversity that is at Ford. I want us to come together to celebrate a great coach and counselor while also celebrating our amazing athletes and former coaches through a hall of fame. Please let his legacy be a spark that puts Ford back on the map. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Hadti Bun here to speak about the Coach Bun dedication. >> Good evening. My name is Hadtie Bun and I'm here to express my strong support for the proposal to name the SAL for Gymnasium in honor of Ibrahim Bun. Having had the privilege of being coached by coach Bun during my junior and senior years at support high school and later serving as his assistant for eight years, I can confidently say that coach Bun was the hardest working individual I have
008ever seen. His dedication to his craft was inspiring and he consistently went above and beyond in all aspects of his work. He never took shortcuts and ensured that everything was done to the highest standard. Coach Bun's commitment to his players and students was genuine. He always put others first, never seeking recognition for his own sacrifices. There's a quote by the legendary coach John Wooden that says, "A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life." Coach Beun undeniably changed thousands of lives from his players and students at Ford High School to the many individuals he impacted throughout our community. In addition to my personal experiences with Coach Bun as a player and as a coach, I believe his lifelong dedication to helping others more than justifies the proposal to name the
009gym in his honor. I was deeply disappointed by the letter written by the Ford Varsity Alumni Club. letter diminished and minimized coach Bedun's legacy. Many people in our communities share the same sentiment. While I do not while I will not address every point raised in the letter, I do want to highlight one statement which read, "School fund should never be used for projects of this nature." I found this kind of disrespectful. It is important to note that Coach Beun personally donated hundreds of thousands of dollars. Let me repeat that. Hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout his career. A contribution that reflects his deep commitment to the community and his students. Coach Beu never saw public recognition for his philanthropy. His charitable acts always came from the puress of his heart. Such a person unquestionably deserves
010to have his name immortalized. It is disheartening that some individuals have opposed this proposal without taking time to fully understand coach Pedun's extensive contributions. To the members of the board, I ask you to make the right decision in this matter. The community widely supported the proposal when it was presented during the last board meeting. And there's no doubt that coach Bun's contributions to both Dearborn public schools and the broader community make him most deserving of this honor. Loyalty is a quality that coach Bun embodied throughout his life. Despite facing adversity during his career, he remained loyal to Edford High School. Finally, I ask everyone present to remember that my father's impact reached far far beyond the court, the counseling office in Edford High School. Though he's no longer with us, his legacy and the knowledge
011he passed on to countless individuals will endure for generations to come. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Dr. Wanda Zenzen. >> Did I say that right? Zenzen. >> Zenzen. Good evening, Dearborn School Board members. I stand before you today passionately advocating for naming the Edelfor Gymnasium after coach Hajj Abraham Bedun who tragically passed away on February 22nd, 2025. Coach Bedun was no ordinary coach or counselor. He was a transformative figure at Edel Ford. Those who had the pleasure of knowing him have described him as one of the most dedicated, kind, generous, nurturing, humble, and selfless individuals they have ever met. During his time at Essel Ford, Coach Beun turned the gymnasium into a sanctuary of inclusion, growth, and learning for anyone and everyone that expressed an interest or a need. In his counseling office,
012he mentored students with unwavering dedication. dedication. I want to emphasize this word because I don't use it lightly. In his 30 years at Zel Ford, the only thing that could keep him away from the students he cared so much about was his final tragic illness. He literally never missed a day of work, ever. His relentless pursuit of equity and inclusion was demonstrated by offering free summer summer basketball camps for all every summer, always free. His generosity was legendary, providing scholarships for athletes with a 3.0 GPA or higher out of his own paycheck. These are a few of the many impactful examples of his kindness and generosity. kindness and generosity that changed so many lives. Hesh was also humble, a star athlete in his day and a decorated coach. You would have never known it by
013talking to him. He shied away from notoriety and recognition, preferring to let his actions do the talking for him. I believe his positive and inspirational impact will be felt in this community for generations. So, I ask, why not make it official and emlazen his name on the court that helped define his legacy? Naming the gymnasium after him isn't just fitting. In my opinion, it would be a deserving homage to a person that literally gave Ford everything he had. This action could be kept could help keep his beautiful irreplaceable spirit alive for generations to come. I respectfully request that you seize this moment to inspire and approve this naming. Please consider letting coach Badun's legacy shine eternally intel Ford's gymnasium. Thank you for your time. [Applause] Our next speaker is Dr. Mike Bedun. Good evening, superintendent,
014board members. That was my sister, Dr. Wanda, and my two nephews there. I don't think I've ever spoken in front of the board, but um me and Juice Abraham Bun and Haj were a year apart. I was a year older. We went through the Demos public school system and I'm grateful for the school system provided me a great education. But during those years, there was a lot of challenges which I'm not going to discuss today. And he overcome that by telling me and telling himself just work harder, you know, to achieve. Be the best you could be. He was a very humble human being. I don't want to repeat what my nephews and my sister said. I can be here until 12:00 midnight and I'm sure nobody wants to be here until then. My brother
015will shy away. Very humble person, very kind person. He just wanted to help. He wanted to do good. Very pure. When I read the letter from the alumni associate, I was shocked. I said, "Wait a minute. I thought we were done with those days back in the 70s and 80s. You know, I studied political science and you know, I advanced degrees in that." And that I shied away from politics from this community because of that. And I was shocked. I said, "This still exists to this day. this man what he achieved. I was shocked. I was telling my son today I said you know my work in Africa they named the hospital after me. I didn't even know they took me there and they took the sheet off. I was shocked. I didn't even ask
016for it. This is the you know appreciation respect. So I ask of you please. That's the least you can do for a man that's given so much to this community. I'm grateful for the board of education. Thank you so much. Okay, our next speaker is Iman. I can't read the last name. >> Nora. Okay, sorry. Iman Nora. >> Hello. I'm short. My name is Emanora. I'm a teacher um at Forton High School. No relation at all to Haj Bun um personally, but I was on his first Lori Middle School or Lori actually we were still junior high basketball team. um the first team that he'd ever coached. And hopefully the fact that I'm back here, I won't say how long later, but many, many years later um in support of this gym being named after
017him says something. I recently became closer with one of his sons. and many of the stories that I've told him about his father as a person and the things that he's done for our community, he didn't have a clue about, which meant that he didn't do anything that he did to go home and brag to his family or his friends, um, he did it because that was the person he was. And although I know for a fact that many of his greatest basketball players, believe it or not, I wasn't one of them, but they will say that the fundamentals that he taught them, you know, they carried throughout their careers. What I remember of of coach was him as a person and the lessons that he taught me as a person. Many of us didn't
018have fathers. Um, I have one friend, there were three sisters on the team with us, and he would drop off everything they needed for every season at their house every year. Just open his trunk and everything that they needed, they had to play from shoes to the clothing, practice clothing, everything that they needed to be successful. Two of the girls were able to go to college because of that. He offered the same to me. Um, he was the first father figure in my life. And honestly, I couldn't have asked for anybody better to step up and do that. And I haven't read whatever this letter is from the alumni association. I know they're suggesting other people, but I think that if if anybody in this community can nominate somebody more deserving and show why they're
019more deserving, then name the gym after them. But I I honestly don't think that's possible. Um I've been in this district since I was in kindergarten. I've been teaching for over 20 years and I honestly genuinely can't say and I was a Barbara O'Brien student. She's my favorite person in the world, God rest her soul. But I honestly can't say there's another person in this community that deserves something, in my opinion, a building. But we'll take a gym named after him more than than Juice. um and his kids, his family, they're all a testament to that. So, I would just like to thank you all for hearing me out and, you know, hopefully this goes the way it should go. Thank you. >> Uh our next speaker is Mary Lane. I'm Mary Lane. I am
020a resident of Dearbornne and the parent of three Edsilford alums. My topic tonight is naming. Uh I have sat on many naming and other district committees. Uh, for example, uh, I was on the committee that named the team meeting room after the man who suggested it and worked hard for it, uh, Emmad Fidel. Our stout PTSA asked the board to name a classroom after coach Gary Schlife who volunteered for about 50 years. Uh, he coached at Edsil as well, but uh, he continued volunteering his time. uh scholarship was donated in his name. That was all privately uh funded. There should be no public funding of uh honors. Public money should not be spent this way. Uh what the auditorium at Stout is named after Maria Brown, a multipletime teacher of the year winner. a plaque
021was put up there and uh already mentioned the World Series pitcher uh Derek Low was honored with the field at Edel. Um he pitched in the World Series um which is world class. I mean you just there's no achievement higher than that. But besides that he was very kind to some Edel students that I know. Uh I was on the board when we named McCulla Ununice School. Um so I know a little bit about controversy but the first thing I would like to say is that uh I am upset about the committee because the committee uh was hurried. Uh a committee should not be formed within in in the district policy it says within six months of a decease or of someone leaving the district so that uh emotions don't prompt actions. Uh there I
022believe that the district violated um administrative guidelines 7250A um which says that you should have with the superintendent should appoint people um and there should be students. I question were there students on that committee? Were they Edel Ford students? Was it a district committee or was it a committee to specifically um name things uh at Edil Ford? Uh I think that the committee started with the premise um what should we do or what do we name instead of what should we do that's uh a failure I think you start from the first question that tells you who the composition should be thus I think that the uh building insight and policy committees should change the guidelines to say that the superintendent should appoint with the consult consultation of the board. Um, I was informed that
023there was a proposal to change the name from Edil Ford High School. That should not happen. It's a disrespect to Edsil Ford, who I personally saw speak at Edel Ford. The Ford family has donated millions of dollars and acres and acres of land. Uh, to take away that tradition is an affront. I was shown also a mural of jerseys of other schools that would be painted at Edsel Ford. I think that that is um inappropriate myself. That should be at the schools where it belongs. Um I finally want to say that naming a gymnasium after one man only, I'm very tired of this. I'm a woman. I was a high school athlete whether or not it looks like it but I remember very well the discouragement that girls faced. I remember being told you're a
024girl you can't do that. Uh so many times I was told told not even to I was not encouraged to try. Edel Ford has had many outstanding students, mentors, coaches, teachers that are female. Females are 51% of the population of this earth. that gymnasium is shared by girls and boys. There should be a woman named as well as a man. So, I just want to suggest that to the board. I want to also suggest that uh coach Janet Smith is is an appropriate person. She no coach in this city ever had a regional championship except Janet Smith. She also uh worked for the district for 30 years. She's now retired. uh but I want the board to consider very carefully and not act in any illconceived fashion because that will lead to criticism or legal
025action. >> Thank you for your comments. >> Uh I have uh written down my comments so I'll uh >> you can pass them along. That's fine. >> Thank you. Uh next speaker please. >> Our next speaker is Ali Dagger. >> Hello everyone. My name is Ali Dagger. It's really hard to follow my very old old friend Mary Lynn. Uh, true story. >> I'm the one that suggested she run for school board. Um, and Troy, remember that Mary? >> Remember that we were standing in Rene's in the condo in Troy. I looked at you said, "You should run for the school board 1991." And I don't regret that. Uh, because I think she's a great and honorable person. Look, I read the letter that was submitted by the alumni board, and as well intentioned as it
026is, it has a major flaw. Let me point it out to you. Just because you can't make a choice about something is not a reason for you to deny others that choice. That's really the fundamental flaw of the argument that's being used. I'm not an expert on process and procedure. I was invited to attend a meeting. I attended several of these meetings. We had a process that was set up by the school board. We followed that process. Now, Jad is right. Is it a final project? No, it's probably not a final product. And I know for a fact that I would, you know, we we're not expert at this. I'm not going to reiterate why is it that it's Mr. Beun that should be chosen. To me, I look back at your own policies, at
027your own philosophies, and when I reflect on those philosophies and those policies, his name clearly steps out to me. Number one, you mentioned earlier an hour's presentation worth, right? And how to be able to meet goals and how to be able to meet proficiencies. Well, there's a man who spent his entire life doing that. This is a man who took it upon himself. Now, there's no doubt there are lots of other people at a Ford High School that are incredible achievements. I mean, I've seen low pitch in Boston, you know, 2004. An amazing pitcher. I mean, he's an incredible pitcher and they've got a field named after him. That's great. Somebody thought about the idea of naming the field after him and they did, right? Isn't that what we're doing now? You can't argue that
028just because I didn't think of it, okay, it shouldn't happen. And you can't argue that after the process is completed, we need to go back and start over again. What's done is done. We followed your procedure and your processes. Now, as far as public funding is concerned, with all due respect, I play a basketball court at the civic center on the Marxenian field or basketball court. I love Mark. Mark and I are old friends. He has a basketball court named after him. There was also this my high school JV coach. What's his name again? I forgot his name. That's how impressionable he was. But you've got the name at Fortson after him. I take personal pride in having been a friend, confidant, and an ally of the Haj practically my entire adult life. This is
029the man who took me out and taught me how to pray. I didn't lie to you, okay? This is the man who directed me and others and impacted my life in more ways than you can possibly imagine. And I'm only the tip of the iceberg of the amount that this man has done. Again, with all respect to everyone that makes the argument that because it wasn't my idea, it shouldn't be done and instead we should focus on thinking of a way to do things. Well, that ship sailed. Stand in line. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Next Next, please. Our next speaker is Robin Mlid. >> Um, so as an Eden parent, I just wanted to come out and express my thoughts on the scale and scope of the proposal to honor Mr. Ibrahim Bejun.
030Mr. Mr. Bun was my daughter's counselor and I know he had a heart of gold, was a beloved member of the school and of the greater community as well. I've also experienced losing both my parents unexpectedly in the last year. So I fully understand the grief, sadness, and desire to pay tribute and honor to someone especially who was loving, giving, and as important in the community as Mr. Bun was. Um, I'm pretty objective. I try to be pretty objective. Try to be neutral. I'm not a member of the alumni association. Um, but the only proposal that I've seen is what was presented at the last board meeting. And so I urge the board to strongly consider the scale, scope, and manner in which that honor is determined and expressed. Um, I found the current proposal
031to be problematic for many reasons. Firstly, I think the aesthetics of placing a graphic mural and quote from an individual so large and prominently distracts from the pride, branding, and tradition of our school, especially in a location that is first and most obvious thing our student athletes, spectators, and opposing teams see when they enter our gym for sports competition or practice where the focus is on teamwork. I have visited many high school gyms and have never seen anything like this of this scale. The large mural would mean that our Adsfor name and logo would be made smaller or displaced relative to what it would be without the mural. I also do not support the large lettering on the floor court for the same reason. Our playing surfaces should be limited to Edsel Ford Pride and
032brand. Secondly, the mural is problematic because there are players in different jerseys and colors. I understand that's changed. However, I haven't seen an updated proposal. Um, it is inappropriate to even suggest showing other jerseys on our hallow competition walls. While amazing, I don't think the listing of um Mr. Vadun's personal athletic accomplishments on the wall or a large showcase are appropriate either and perhaps should be considered for the gym walls of Fordson or U of M Dearborn. Our halls should be full of the celebrations and accomplishments of our own student athletes and graduates who have worn Edel Ford jerseys and lay their blood, sweat, and tears on Edel Ford's gyms and fields. Uh again, I support the honoring of Mr. Vune. Um, as it applies to Edel Ford, I would I would support a more
033balanced and holistic approach taken to hear all community voices and look at the ways in which we honor all of our school leaders. The gym is not just used for basketball, nor is it just used for boys. And for this reason, such prominent elevation of one individual is problematic, especially in light of the fact that I've urged the board and our superintendent over the course of years to take a long hard look at Title 9 and the ways in which we promote and support girls athletics. In fact, I have been urging our board and superintendent to engage in unbiased, independent, third-party audit of the current state of our athletic departments, as I think there is good reason to believe that our district may be in violation of Title 9. We owe it to our girls
034to honor our female student athletes and the educators and coaches who have meant so much to them as well. Numerous significant lapses have occurred in Dearborn School's sportsmanship, fair play, promotion, and quality support in girls athletics. Edel Ford has had many coaches and athletic administrators who have had very storied and meaningful coaching careers in both boys and girls sports. Strong women like Janet Smith and Barb Palco among them. I encourage the board to work to find a way to honor Mr. Bun and his legacy in a scale, scope, and manner. It is meaningful and measured, inclusive, and respectful of the pride and traditions of our beloved Edsford High School and the many viewpoints of our rich and diverse community. Again, I don't oppose naming a gym. However, um I also agree with Mary Lane that
035um our girls need representation as well and I think you know just the proposal that I saw was really um problematic. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. Next next speaker please. >> Next speaker is Mahi Hmedi. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Mandy Hamadi. Um I'm a basketball I've been a basketball coach within this district for the past five years. Um I've been coaching girls varsity basketball. I'm up here uh speak about coach uh Hajun. Um I'm one of hundreds if not thousands of lives that he's impacted um throughout his 25 30 years of service within this district. And I mean I can't be more thankful to have a guy like him in my life. Um he served as a father figure to me and I couldn't be any more thankful for
036him. Um one thing I didn't want to talk about was you know the impact that he's made. I mean, I don't want to reiterate everyone's point here, but, you know, being in service for 30 years as a counselor, 25 plus years as a basketball coach, he's poured his heart and soul into this. And I understand that, you know, I could be up here for hours talking about the impact he's had. Instead of obviously doing that, I want to talk about the benchmark for naming a court. I mean, obviously, there's no specific benchmark. There's no specific measure to say like, "Hey, you want this, you did this, or you deserve the court named after you." But instead, we have to use our judgment. Um there's been countless hundreds of thousands of lives that he's impacted a
037bunch of students. And again, I'm just one of them. And I think we have to use our judgment with that to see, hey, does this person deserve that type of recognition? And there's no doubt that there's you can name so many different individuals that deserve to also maybe be considered for that as well as some people have brought up in their argument up here. Um but instead of making it into an argument to say, hey, who deserves this? I'm looking at it as why don't we just look at it to recognize his life? um someone so deserving like himself and that did so much for someone like me and thousands of other students which is the most important thing you can do. Um I believe that we should be recognizing him for that instead of
038you know arguing who deserves what or and what not. Um so I believe when naming this naming the court after him I believe that we should be using all our judgment to say hey did he have a big enough impact on the students in this community and go from there. Um, he taught so much beyond the basketball court. You know, he helped guide me to play at the college level, but beyond that, I mean, he I have characteristics to this day that I still carry because of him. Uh, life principles I've learned and, you know, my work ethic I've learned from him. He's taught me so much that's carried forward with me to this day. And because of that, I think he deserves to be recognized for that. Thank you. [Applause] >> Speaker, please. Our
039next speaker is Brian Massie. Did >> I say your last name right, Mr. Massie? >> Close enough. >> Sorry. No, what is it? >> Macy. Okay. Sorry. Brian Macy. >> Good evening. Um, I'm a proud graduate of Ford of 1984 and a board member of the Ford Varsity Alumni. It is on behalf of the Zel Ford varsity alumni that I represent tonight. I want to make it very clear. We do not oppose that Ibraham Bun Juice as we know him should receive some kind of recognition for his years of service and dedication to Elsort High School. With that being said, I would like to highlight some of the things mentioned in the email that was sent on behalf of the Ford Alumni Club to each board member. During my long ten tenure as the athletic
040director at Northfield High School, I understand that naming athletic facilities after individuals is is a decision that must be approached with careful consideration and balance. While we understand and respect the desire to honor Mr. Bun's contributions, we just have a concern of the size and the scale and the scope of the committee's current request. The proposed design for the inside of the gym, including eliminating the school name on the baselines of the court and a large mural wall featuring jersey colors from playing days at Lorie Forson and U of M Dearborn do not represent and shifts away the focus away from the true spirit of Zel Ford, its students and its diverse united community. Recognition is important, but it should not overshadow the broader mission of the history in the school in the school name
041in which the student athletes represent. Mr. Bun was a humble and selfless individual and I believe he should not and he would not want his legacy to overshadow the Elford athletic community as a whole. As we have said, we do not oppose to honoring Mr. Bun. In fact, we support a form of recognition that is meaningful yet measured, one that aligns with the values and traditions of ETL Ford. We respectfully ask the board to consider reducing some of the elements of this project but yet find the appropriate and inclusive way to honor his legacy. Thank you for your consideration. >> Thank you, Mr. >> Next speaker. >> Yeah, our next speaker is Dean Assad. Is it Dean or Diana? What? Dina. >> Okay, Dina Sad. >> Good evening. >> So, I wasn't sure how how
042I was going to address the board tonight. I wasn't sure if I was going to speak as a Dearborn School employee or if I was simply going to be the proud niece of Hajraim Bun. At first, I thought, you know what? I'll take off my employee hat and speak only from the heart as family. But as I began drafting this, I realized it's nearly impossible to separate the two. Over the years working in Dearbornne, anytime I mentioned that Hes was my uncle, my colleagues would light up with stories uh and memories of him. Students, both male and female, would tell me how lucky I was that he was my uncle. And the parents of my special needs students would share how he changed and even saved their child their child's life. And it's it's impossible
043for me to take off that Dearbornne employee hat because that hat was stitched together by the very people who shaped this district. People like my uncle. People who are selfless, dedicated, caring, and kind. That is what it means to be a Dearborn employee. And that is what it means to be a truly remarkable educator. So tonight, I stand here wearing both hats with pride. I speak to you as a district employee who believes in the power of legacy and as Anise who will forever be proud to call Hes family. We the members of the committee believe that his legacy should be honored in a way that reflects his lasting impact on our school and overall community. Naming the Jim Edel Ford is not just a tribute to a person. It's a tribute to everything he
044stood for. Community, perseverance, mentorship, and love for all students. everything our district stands for. He spent decades serving this district. Not just in his job title, but in every hallway conversation, every handshake, and every student whose life he touched. The gym was more than just a space to him. It was a place where he connected with students, motivated them, and taught them lessons far beyond basketball. Renaming the gymnasium would ensure that when generations to come ask, "Who is this man?" they'll learn about a man who gave everything he had to the young people of this city. It would serve as a permanent reminder of the values what we all hold dear for this district. So on behalf of myself, our committee, and the many lives he touched, I respectfully ask you to consider honoring his
045memory in a very lasting and meaningful way. Thank you. [Applause] >> No more speakers. >> No more cards. Uh chair, >> thank you. Uh, next agenda item is board followup. Mr. Mayor, I want to thank Mr. Macy mentioning Haj Ibrahim's uh legacy. I was very concerned the past couple weeks that Hajbraim wouldn't want this and you know the fact what is going on. I have I don't I didn't have a chance to look at what was said and what wasn't said on on on social media. Well, nothing nothing can tarnish Haj Ibrahim's legacy. Uh Mary Lane mentioned emotions and I I unfortunately there are people taking shots at the committee. I slashwe are very very thankful to the committee all the work they've done. Now we understand the process the seven of us the eight
046of us understand how the process goes. All we heard last month was a proposed recommendation. The final decision will be made at this table and I know we will do the right thing. I'm thankful for, you know, Jiad Bedun for doing everything he can to bring the temperature down. That was that was that was good stuff. I loved it. Harry, let me tell you something. I think everybody knows the thousands of lives your father affected. Let me take it a step further. couple people I heard from just the last couple weeks that I haven't shared this with anybody, but I think this is appropriate tonight because my job tonight is try again support jihad on bringing the temperature down. I've spoke to almost everybody in this room the last couple weeks, last couple of days,
047even today. Nobody disagrees that we have to do something to honor the man. Nobody disagrees on that. uh what we do is how we do it and what we do is what everybody's concerned about and we will get to that. But Haddie, you can add this to the lives that your father changed. I heard from a grandmother lives down river. grandmother of a 12year-old when his mom was at Zel, she was one of the students that was pregnant during her junior year and the mom the grandmother shared with me that her daughter was honestly thinking of ending her life. And usually what happens in that department, you know, it's, you know, financial, emotional, the whole nine yards. And that grandmother is thankful for what Hashbraim did. Down the street, not too far from here, just
048north on Telegraph, there's a young man, African-American community that attended at Ford. He rents a gym. He goes around, knocks on door, raises if you dial, runs a gym every Friday night. And he has a camp for the kids in the neighborhood. Instead of those kids on their phones on a Friday night or on the streets, bullets flying this way, that way, he gathers like about 56 of them in the gym at no charge. Eddie, I ask, I wonder where that young man learned that from. Now, I said I want to keep bring keep, you know, try to help keep the temperature down, but I always I never hesitate to speak my mind. I think it was poor leadership. The people that ran this committee. I asked today and I received the people that attended
049the committee meetings. Uh emotions were flying high. Yes, you're right, Mary Lane. and good leadership would have stepped in and kind of grounded people and said, "Look, in order to honor the man, this is what we need to do." Not just whatever they wanted. And I did hear that somebody mentioned that they wanted to rename the school. The problem I have is one of the leaders that was supposed to lead this committee kind of gave up on this comm. He stepped aside. I say shame on you cuz you were you were not nice to him the last couple years of his life and you're still not nice to him. But there's no doubt in my mind this none of this will tarnish his legacy. Everybody in this room I can sit there and look at
050faces. I know what's in your hearts. We know what the right thing is to do. Yes, we all we all support our young ladies. What we did last year for the young ladies at, you know, at a Ford, all seven of us here was amazing. That's something I'm proud of. Nobody wants to take away from what our young ladies can accomplish and their dreams and all that, but to that person and she I know she's listening to me and I don't I'm going to say this and I'm going to own saying this. You can name a gym. You can name a building. You can name the street after this young man. He did die too young. You're still not going to be able to sleep better at night. I want to go back to let's
051lower the temperature. Let's take a time out. We've I've had discussions with most of my colleagues, not all of them yet, but most of them. We do want to do the right thing to honor Hajbraim and at the same time honor the legacy left behind by many many many people at a Ford. Thank you, President Mos. >> Trusty Jeffrey >> and I want to thank all those that spoke and and I appreciate the alumni speaking and and uh making their points. The only one of the issues that I had with uh one of the points is the honoring is meant for athletes and and students. That's I disagree with that because alumni stayed for four years. He stayed for 30 years and we have to see that precedence has been set a fortune with Deljudas
052and you know I don't know the man so I'm sure he was honored for the right reason but those of us that know Hajj you know for 30 years know what a great person he is you know character-wise but also what he gave to the community what he um how he impacted the kids in in multiple ways from the counseling office and also from the coaching. Um I agree, you know, other people should be honored, but let's not take away from him deserving this accolade, this, you know, the legacy that he left. We we really can't um when when you say he played for Fordson or he you know 30 years makes him anxford Thunderbird. 30 years should you know people become citizens after 5 years. 30 years should make him uh you know should
053have the gym named after him based on his accolade bas based on what he did. So, I think sometimes we're looking for reasons to honor other people and uh Jiad made a good point and I think what people want to do is control the scope. But if you notice that when Jiad his son uh talked, he did control the scope. He eliminated some things and and and and there's an openness. It's a recommendation. It's not um you know a final uh you know it's not final. We we could talk about, you know, the scope, but let's not talk away. Let's not talk about the not honoring him. I mean, it would be uh such a disservice. >> Trusty Zar, >> so I want to thank everybody for coming up here and speaking, too. I know
054it's not easy. I um I'm not as lucky as Hussein or Jamal or my brother Ali. I I didn't know Coach Beun as much as you guys did, but I did meet him a few times. And um even in those few times, uh it was clear to me how charismatic of a person this was, how humble of a person he was, and and the fact that he affected thousands of lives is not a surprise to me at all. Um I heard some red herrings thrown out today, uh which really make me question Whenever someone makes an argument with red herring, you know, it it just, you know, it just means they don't want to happen what is talking about happening. Um, there was not a competition between Coach Beun and uh possibly naming after a
055woman and then we decided to name after like that's not what happened. So, it has nothing to do with that. Um, we are Dearborn Schools. I don't think there's it's a source of pride that if you name something at Zel Ford after someone who was there for 30 years that you also throw in Lori and for I mean that's not we're Dearborn schools. We're not these different uh camps throughout the schools. Um I was really disturbed man. I kept count I guess I'm not lowering the temperature. I kept count. Everyone who came up and spoke in favor of this idea was ArabAmerican and everyone who came up and spoke against it was not. That bothers me. Bothers me couched in things like scope and all these kinds of thing. It bothers me. Bothers me a
056lot. There are numerous things named in this school district after all kinds of people. Derek Low, I mean, uh, I'm a I'm a huge baseball fan. You guys can walk out, but I mean, that's that's fine. That's how I feel. >> Derek Low was a a a a pitcher who pitched in the World Series. I mean, okay, it's a big deal, but at the end of the day, it's not somebody who spent 30 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in the district every single day. And no one has a problem with that. And we're talking about basically the same thing, a baseball field and a gym. And we're having this argument about it. This is the same thing that happened five or six years ago. I I don't remember the time exactly with Dr.
057Fala. Same exact thing. It really bothers me. This city has obviously changed a lot over the years. I've heard some um I've heard some uh we're not going to name any names here, but you know, I've heard people tell me before and that some former leaders or politicians have said, "Hey, you can slow things down, but that's the best you can do you know though the best you can do is try to slow things down. Well, we're past those days and um it was I really really really am bothered by what I saw happen tonight. At the end of the day, like Trusty Barry said, we'll look at this. We understand the traditions of our school district. We understand what might be too big of a proposal. We understand all that. We'll deal with all
058of that. But in my eyes, that's not what was going on here tonight. That could have been done at the committee level. If you were concerned about the scope of something, that's what you sit in committee meetings for. You don't you don't skip out on the committee and then come later and say, "Well, the scope is too big." And there was no I I wasn't a secret to me that this committee was happening. I don't think it was a secret to anybody in the city or anybody who's involved with Ford that this committee was happening. Was there rules on who could or could not join the committee? Was there uh guidelines on who could or could not join the committee? I don't think there was. And so to come up with all this stuff after
059it just really really bothers me. And um it is uh uh something that I think unfortunately is still uh endemic. I think Dr. Mike talked about it when he come when he, you know, I thought we were past these days, but it's something that unfortunately it still seems endemic in in uh our city. I think we're moving past it. I think our political activity shows that we're moving past it. I think that um but but even if you just have even if you still have a small amount of people that don't want to understand the changing nature of this city then we are going to continue to have these things. There is nothing that this committee in in terms of principle that this committee suggested that was different than all of the other things that
060are named after people in our district. Really nothing. And you don't get to complain about the scope of it to try to bring it down. That is not the way it works. And so I was really bothered. Sorry I'm not bringing the temperature down, Hussein, but I was really bothered by some of the stuff I heard today. So obviously we're not voting on anything today and we are smart enough as seven people up here and we all get along pretty well that we can talk about the scope and all this kind of stuff. But the fact that we ended up here tonight with this kind of discussion, um I don't think it was all done in good faith. And uh I I'm hoping that as a community we can move forward and be clear about
061what our values are and be clear about what true fairness means. And true fairness to me would be that somebody who has the resume of this man, he would be probably I didn't know him as well as the rest of you, but I imagine he would be embarrassed by all of this. >> Yes, sir. >> I imagine that he would be embarrassed that we're even thinking of naming something after him, which is why we should name something after him. And he would be embarrassed that it has devolved into this. Um, which is more reason again that we have to stand up for the principles that he stood up for, which was fairness and the dignity of every person. Uh, and so that's all I have to say. Chair Mos. Thanks. >> Thank you, Trusty Zar.
062Um, I I'd like to thank everybody for coming out and and speaking your mind on on this proposal. Uh, this proposal is fluid. We I truly appreciate all the committee members who have put it the time and the effort uh to get us to the proposal and I I'd like to thank also um sir jihad Bun for being so flexible at looking at this is the feedback that we're receiving and we're sending that back to the committee and we're we're looking at that. So I I would hope that next meeting that we would have a proposal together um that is obviously it's not going to please everybody but will appropriately honor uh coach Hajj Bun.