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#WomenOfWelcoming: Celebrating history and inclusion for Women’s History Month

In the United States, Women’s History Month takes place during March to celebrate the contributions and achievements of women in a variety of fields, from the past to the present. At Welcoming America, we are proud to lead a membership network of 300+ nonprofits and local government organizations that work to help communities become more…

Government and Community Leadership, Stories of Impact
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Blog Post

Connecting Indigenous storytelling to build bridges in Charlotte

A story’s ability to bring people together is boundless. Ramona Moore Big Eagle knows this because storytelling is in her blood. Based in the newly Certified Welcoming city of Charlotte, North Carolina, Ramona is an educator, legend keeper, enrolled member of the Tuscarora nation, and recently, a gardener. Through her work with the Universal Institute…

Connected Communities, Stories of Impact
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School boards in focus: sustaining democracy and pluralism by taking a step back

Through the pandemic, schools became one of the toughest places to navigate for students, parents, educators, and school board members. Over time, school board meetings became tense spaces where people released their frustrations on issues ranging from mask mandates to the role of race in student curricula, sometimes ending in school board members being removed…

Education, Stories of Impact
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Nonprofit empowers Black immigrant community through COVID recovery in St. Louis

I came to the U.S. in 2004 through the Diversity Visa Program (also known as the DV lottery). It is congressionally-mandated and allows up to 55,000 persons from nations that are historically underrepresented in terms of migration to the United States of America to qualify each year for immigrant visas, which are more commonly known…

Stories of Impact
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Differences give way to friendship over Somalian coffee in St. Cloud, Minnesota

In 2020, Welcoming America and its members worked in eight cities to bridge diverse communities and foster a deeper sense of belonging for local residents, including immigrants. This story is part of the Belonging Begins With Us campaign, which was funded in part by the Walmart Foundation. The central Minnesota where Natalie Ringsmuth grew up…

Stories of Impact
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Southern Missourians of all backgrounds find common purpose during pandemic

In 2020, Welcoming America and its members worked in eight cities to bridge diverse communities and foster a deeper sense of belonging for local residents, including immigrants. This story is part of the Belonging Begins With Us campaign, which was funded in part by the Walmart Foundation.  At 59, Maria de Lordes looks back at…

Connected Communities, Stories of Impact
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Inclusive economic recovery: bridging the digital divide, language access gaps in Contra Costa County

As the U.S. continues to recover from some of the worst of the pandemic, Welcoming Network members worked in communities to make the recovery process as inclusive as possible. This is the final of three blogs written by Global Detroit on behalf of Welcoming America that share the challenges, solutions, and possibilities of inclusive economic…

Connected Communities, Economic Development, Equitable Access, Government and Community Leadership, Stories of Impact
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Inclusive economic recovery: Sparking immigrant entrepreneurship in California’s Central Valley

As the U.S. economy faced uneven recovery timelines from the coronavirus pandemic – with some sectors enduring complete shutdown while others experienced slow recoveries – many immigrant communities encountered additional stresses from the lack of access to services and federal relief funding. This includes immigrants living in the Central Valley of California. Approximately 900,000 immigrants…

Economic Development, Stories of Impact
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Emerson YMCA, Our Lady of Guadalupe School help kids through pandemic, shared effort

In 2020, Welcoming America and its members worked in eight cities to bridge diverse communities and foster a deeper sense of belonging for local residents, including immigrants. This story is part of the Belonging Begins With Us campaign, which was funded in part by the Walmart Foundation.  Where do we find healing during troubled times?…

Connected Communities, Stories of Impact
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A safe space: New and established Louisville residents talk preconceptions, build connections (and houses)

In 2020, Welcoming America and its members worked in eight cities to bridge diverse communities and foster a deeper sense of belonging for local residents, including immigrants. This story is part of the Belonging Begins With Us campaign, which was funded in part by the Walmart Foundation. With a good job as a hotel manager,…

Connected Communities, Refugees, Stories of Impact
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