By: The Center for Inclusion and Belonging, State and Local Initiatives
Over the last week, communities in 49 U.S. states across eight countries and three continents declared “We’re ALL In!” as a part of Welcoming America’s 12th Annual Welcoming Week. More than 2,000 events took place since Welcoming Week 2024 kicked off on September 13, uniting neighbors throughout the country of all backgrounds to celebrate the diversity that makes each community strong and vibrant. With Citizenship Day taking place during Welcoming Week, over 400 naturalization ceremonies across the nation commemorated more than 17,000 people becoming new U.S. citizens!
Welcoming Week is a perfect example of the dedication and commitment of localities across the world to foster belonging within their communities. The theme “We’re ALL In!” serves as a clear reminder that welcoming immigrants builds and deepens collective prosperity, despite what misconceptions, myths, or hateful rhetoric you might hear about immigrants, splattered across the news. Some of this year’s events included:
- Starting in Minnesota, Welcoming Week was quite busy in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis kicked things off by issuing a welcoming week resolution alongside community members during a city council meeting, signaling the city’s commitment to inclusion. In partnership with St. Paul, another anchoring event included a special edition of the ongoing Twin Cities Monthly Twin Cities Immigration Forum – a space to discuss immigration-related news and how it impacts the community, resources, and to share updates among the immigrant-serving community organizations.
- Down South, the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative (GINI) in Gainesville, Florida wrapped up Welcoming Week with “Building Belonging” an event that included food from across the globe, health screenings and flu shots, and information on resources from different community organizations.
- In Utah, Salt Lake City became the first city in Utah to achieve Welcoming Certification – spotlighting its commitment to creating a welcoming community. The city joins Salt Lake County, which became welcoming certified six years prior in 2018 and was the first county in the U.S. to receive certification.
Communities that have participated in Welcoming America and the Council’s Gateways for Growth Challenge (G4G) have also been active participants in this year’s Welcoming Week. G4G helps local leaders facilitate immigrant inclusion through tailored research reports and technical assistance to develop a multi-sector strategic welcoming plan. To date, 76 communities across the U.S.—from Anchorage, Alaska and Austin, Minnesota, to Fargo, North Dakota and San Antonio, Texas— have benefitted from investing, celebrating, and uplifting the many social and economic contributions immigrants make to their communities. Two of the communities that received G4G Implementation awards to support the implementation of their strategic welcoming plans continued to demonstrate their commitment to welcoming through the following events:
- In Indiana, Amani Family Services and the Fort Wayne community hosted a calendar of events as part of Welcoming Week, anchored by the Welcoming Fort Wayne Awards that celebrates “the achievements of exceptional immigrants and refugees.”
- Baltimore County, Maryland hosted the Welcoming Week Community Resource Fair, including community resources, family activities and opportunities to learn more about different cultures, immigration, and about each of the other more than 100 attendees!
Each year, Welcoming Week grows and reminds us that despite efforts to villainize groups of people and stoke fear, communities are a light of hope and people are “ALL in,” leading the way on welcoming newcomers every day.
Beyond the many incredible celebrations that took place this year, many communities have long solidified welcoming work into policy, ordinances, and more. Programs like Municipal IDs have been established across the U.S. – including Detroit and Philadelphia – to ensure all individuals can obtain identification to apply for housing, open a bank account, or secure a job. Earlier this year, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, opened a Welcome Center to offer a variety of resources to immigrants and those with limited English proficiency and in Tulsa, the city and county are funding a Business Incubator for immigrant entrepreneurs. The commitment to “We’re ALL In!” does not end there.
The message that “We’re ALL In!” reverberated across the country through a new national public service announcement (PSA) developed by Belonging Begins with Us, an Ad Council and American Immigration Council campaign, in partnership with Team Up Project called “Shared Table.” The ad is airing on TV stations across the country and reminds viewers that each of us brings something unique when we come together around the shared tables in our lives, and we are stronger when we make space for those unique contributions.
More than ten years ago, Welcoming Week started as a small collection of events in the U.S. It has since expanded to more than 2,000 events annually across the globe. In the face of many challenges and an intensifying political climate, communities continue to demonstrate time and time again that they play a leading role in ensuring that everyone feels welcome and belongs, no matter where they come from.
FILED UNDER: Belonging, Inclusion, Welcoming America, Welcoming Week
