Drag performer Jackie Cox joins Welcoming Week kickoff event

Jackie Cox for Welcoming Week 2021

Decatur, GA — Welcoming America is thrilled to announce that drag performer Jackie Cox of RuPaul’s Drag Race will make a featured appearance and performance in the virtual kick off event for Welcoming Week on September 9, 2021. Jackie Cox (also known as Darius Rose) is a New York City-based drag performer of Iranian and…

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Creating the table: Using food to foster belonging during Welcoming Week

The Nashville Food Project, a Welcoming Network member, works to bring people together to grow, cook, and share nourishing food. Check out how they plan on celebrating #WelcomingWeek2021 using the recently published Taste of Belonging cookbook.  As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, we must consider how to heal and connect with one another…

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Iranian American comedian, actor slated to emcee Welcoming Week kickoff event

Peter Banifaz

Decatur, GA — Welcoming America is thrilled to announce Peter Banifaz, an Iranian-born American actor, comedian, and writer based in Los Angeles, as the official emcee of this year’s Welcoming Week virtual kickoff event on September 9. In addition to his recurring role on the Emmy-nominated show on Showtime, Shameless, Banifaz’s acting credits include Veep,…

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Masks on, arms open: Milwaukee nonprofits foster new connections in the heart of the 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 a time when a pandemic isolated Americans,…

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Welcoming Week 2021: Best Practices and Resources to Plan Your Events

Planning to celebrate Welcoming Week 2021 this September? Watch this webinar to learn more about this year’s Welcoming Week strategy and ways to participate! You’ll get access to resources, insights, and tips to help with planning your own event during Welcoming Week (September 10-19) as well as introduce this year’s theme, share the toolkit and…

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How we created home together for Welcoming Week 2020

This year, as many of us social distanced to protect our communities, Welcoming Week was more important than ever. Under the theme of “Creating Home Together”, Welcoming Week inspired communities to consider what makes a home and how, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the definition of home has changed for many people. At…

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How Communities of Practice Foster Thoughtful Engagement, Collaboration, and Welcoming

Authored by Thought Partnerships As part of Welcoming Week, we invited partners to share how they’re creating home together during a pandemic. Thought Partnerships is a nonprofit initiative dedicated to advancing non-violent, just, and inclusive societies. Thought Partnerships is a formal partner of Welcoming Week 2020. Thought Partnerships (TP) joins millions around the world who are finding new…

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Celebrating Welcoming Week: A Guide for Libraries

This toolkit published by the American Library Association in partnership with the National Forum on Libraries, Census 2020, & New Americans; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and Welcoming America provides tips, tools, examples, and other resources for U.S. libraries to participate in Welcoming Week. Because libraries play a unique role in helping communities…

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Welcoming Week celebrates movement of inclusion by “Creating Home Together”

Press Release: Atlanta, GA — From September 12-20, Welcoming America, a national nonprofit organization, will lead the annual celebration of Welcoming Week events happening around the world under the theme of “Creating Home Together.” Due to the pandemic, Welcoming Week—which typically takes place through in-person events around the world—will mostly shift to virtual programming. Under…

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Sample Welcoming Week 2020 Proclamation

Download a template of a sample welcoming proclamation that your community leadership can adopt during Welcoming Week 2020 as a public commitment to welcoming policies and practices.

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