Salisbury sets out to welcome immigrants and build community on Maryland’s eastern shore
As more communities across the U.S. experience population shifts, how can small municipalities embrace diversity and inclusion to become welcoming places for all? For the city of Salisbury, MD, 2018 served as a turning point on its journey to become a more diverse and inclusive place. Known as the Capital of the Eastern Shore, Salisbury…
Read MoreThis World Refugee Day, learn something new about refugee resettlement
Today is World Refugee Day! First held by the United Nations in 2001, World Refugee Day honors refugees and “celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape persecution” (UNHCR). Welcoming America recently hosted a series of webinars with Boston University on refugee resettlement strategies to…
Read MoreCelebrating #ImmigrantHeritageMonth through food, history, and belonging.
This month, we’re celebrating #ImmigrantHeritageMonth through the stories of food, history, and belonging from our Taste Of Belonging cookbook featuring members from the Welcoming Network. Through the month of June, we will celebrate immigrants by highlighting five stories and recipes from the cookbook. Valerie Mills is senior program manager at Atlanta’s Office of Immigrant Affairs…
Read MoreMeet the #WomenOfWelcoming
For Women’s History Month, we highlighted five individuals that have dedicated their lives to building more inclusive and equitable communities where all people can feel as though they belong, including immigrants. They come from diverse backgrounds and work in fields ranging from affordable housing to local government work. These women represent what it means to be welcoming and…
Read MoreA gap in the system: creating more inclusive emergency management practices
Hurricane Katrina, the Flint, MI water crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. These are just a few examples of events that disproportionately impacted minority and marginalized communities. Inequality in emergency management doesn’t end there, disasters have been shown to increase inequality long after the storm has passed or the environmental contamination has been addressed. Creating an inclusive infrastructure and…
Read MoreVaccine hesitancy in immigrant communities: Your questions answered
On February 17, we hosted a webinar titled “Overcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Immigrant Communities” with experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mayo Clinic, local governments, and more. Due to the overwhelming interest in this topic, we’ve compiled the questions submitted by webinar attendees that were not answered in the Q&A portion,…
Read MoreFrom Syria to Idaho to California: Reflections from a virtual cooking class
Since September, the Idaho Office for Refugees, a Welcoming Network member, has offered cross-culinary kits and virtual cooking classes as part of a six-month series led by Boise residents with refugee and immigrant backgrounds. I was lucky enough to attend a class taught by Shadi Ismail, a Syrian refugee who calls Boise home. He was…
Read MoreA Play-By-Play: Global Detroit’s 2020 Election Sprint
As the election season progresses and communities look to boost voter engagement, Welcoming Network member Global Detroit is sprinting toward Election Day with programming that ensures all can vote. In this blog, Steve Tobocman, Executive Director at Global Detroit, shares what they’ve been doing in Michigan. Election rules can be hard, but helping our communities…
Read MoreResilient Responders: Engaging immigrant leaders, sharing facts through videos in Ohio
As the pandemic began escalating in early 2020, the Welcoming Network mobilized in communities from Vermont to Texas to meet the pressing and often overlooked needs of immigrant and refugee communities. Through our Resilient Rapid Response Initiative, see how our members rose to the occasion and responded to community needs in this “Resilient Responders” blog…
Read MoreResilient Responders: Changing the language access game in Tennessee
As the pandemic began escalating in early 2020, the Welcoming Network mobilized in communities from Vermont to Texas to meet the pressing and often overlooked needs of immigrant and refugee communities. Through our Resilient Rapid Response Initiative, see how our members rose to the occasion and responded to community needs in this “Resilient Responders” blog…
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