Announcing the Welcoming Cities and Counties Initiative

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Recognizing that immigrants help maximize opportunities for economic growth and civic vitality and position communities as globally competitive, 21st century leaders, 17 local governments have joined the Welcoming Cities and Counties Initiative with Welcoming America.

St. Louis Mayor and County Executive Sign On Tied into the St. Louis Immigration & Innovation Initiative’s Economic Conference today in which new actions to become more welcoming to immigrants were announced, the St. Louis region became the 12th to join Welcoming Cities and Counties. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley signed on today making the region the first to have both its city Mayor and county Executive sign together.Lincoln, Nebraska Declares Welcoming City Day Mayor Chris Beutler, along with advocates and members of the city’s New Americans Task Force, which helps new immigrants acclimate to America and Lincoln, signed a proclamation designating Friday, June 21 as Welcoming City Day.

Welcoming Cities & Counties Recognized as a 2013 Clinton Global Initiative America Commitment to Action

 

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CGI America (CGIA) convenes leaders to turn ideas into action. CGI America Commitments to Action represent bold new ways that CGI commitment makers address challenges in the United States—implemented through new methods of partnership and designed to maximize impact. Commitments can be small or large, global or local. No matter the size or scope, commitments help CGI America commitment makers translate practical goals into meaningful and measurable results.

The initiative signals the growing importance of an innovative and proactive role for local governments, and the growing recognition of immigrants as assets in any community. Participating cities and counties include:

  • Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (incl. Pittsburgh)
  • Austin, Texas
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Boise, Idaho
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Dayton, Ohio
  • High Point, North Carolina
  • Lincoln, Nebraska
  • Macomb County, Michigan
  • Montgomery County, Maryland
  • New York, New York
  • Oakley, California
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • San Francisco, California
  • St. Louis, Missouri (city)
  • St. Louis, Missouri (county)

Welcoming Cities and Counties recognize the benefit of supporting immigrant-friendly, welcoming environments in which all community members can fully contribute and participate.

Welcoming America is convening members of Welcoming Cities and Counties to share promising practices with each other and help the nation learn from their local level innovations that support economic development and create vibrant global communities that are great places to live, work and do business. In addition this initiative is supported by a growing list of partner organizations, which include: City of Chicago, City of New York, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, AS/COA, and Maytree’s Cities of Migration. Welcoming Cities and Counties has also been recognized as a 2013 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action.