Oakland County to Host Little Amal

• Little Amal is a 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl who is trekking an epic 6,000 miles across the United States from Sept. 7-Nov. 5.
• She will arrive at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair Sunday afternoon in a car parade.
• She walks for the hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people of all ages roaming the world in search of safety.

Ferndale, Mich. – Little Amal, the 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl who is trekking an epic 6,000 miles across the United States from Boston to San Diego, will appear at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair on 9 Mile west of Woodward on Sunday, Sept. 24. She will arrive by classic car parade that begins at Ferndale High School at 3:30 p.m.

Amal, whose name means “hope” in Arabic, is sharing her message of hope as she traverses the country from Sept. 7-Nov. 5. Along the way, she will join more than 1,500 artists and participate in 100-plus local events in 40 towns and cities, including Metropolitan Detroit with stops in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, Dearborn, and Flint.

“Little Amal is a powerful symbol of the plight of refugees around the world and we’re honored that she will spend a few days in Michigan to shine a light on the need for understanding, compassion and resources for displaced people,” said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. “Oakland County is a welcoming county for all people, including immigrants, refugees, displaced people and Little Amal.”

From 3:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Amal will be participating in a vintage car parade through Ferndale which will drop her off at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair, where she will walk among the shoppers and artisans and receive a gift before heading toward the parking lot of Ferndale Foods where the car parade participants will be on display in a mini car show. Viewers can follow Amal in Ferndale on County Executive Office social media (@oakgov.EO).

Amal walks for the hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people of all ages roaming the world in search of safety. She has journeyed across 15 countries, meeting more than one million people and engaging tens of millions of followers online. She will visit Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, and Dearborn and Flint on Sept. 23, 24, 26, and 27. Then she heads to Chicago.

For more information, go to oakgov.info/WelcomingWeek or WalkWithAmal.org.