Category: Belonging Begins With Us

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Belonging Demands Action – Now More Than Ever

We write to you all with heavy hearts, knowing that the words that follow are not shared lightly. We speak with clarity about the truth of what has occurred. Across the United States, people are grieving, coming together and resisting harm carried out by our own federal government. As a network rooted in belonging and dignity for all, we should refuse to remain silent in the face of violence, fear and injustice.

In Minnesota this January, a large deployment of federally armed agents has terrorized neighborhoods and shattered the sense of safety for children, families, elders, and people of all backgrounds – no one is immune to this violence. The deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti – two Minnesota residents killed by federal agents – have sparked peaceful protests, national outcry, and urgent calls for accountability from those trying to undermine public trust and safety.

Hundreds of people, many of them U.S. citizens, Somali Americans, and other long standing community members – have been stopped, detained or intimidated by federal agents in rural and urban communities alike, yet communities are coming together and caring for one another.

During this moment, what gives us hope is the remarkable human nature of compassion, love and care that countless individuals on the ground are extending to each other. Where terror attempts to isolate, a powerful multiracial movement of neighbors has responded with linked arms. We have witnessed neighbors protecting each other, mutual aid networks distributing food and medical care – all linked across their own differences.

Nebraskans like you and I believe in a world where welcoming and belonging are not just ideas but a reality we are working to build. This work is not new – and it is not fragile – but it is being tested. What is happening right now erodes years of community building led by people across sectors: faith leaders, business owners, city leaders, educators, law and safety officials, and community members who have worked to create strong connected communities.

We must not lose sight of the values that bring us together. Every action we take builds upon the work of those who came before us and alongside one another. We each have that innate human nature of compassion, love and care. When we choose to harness it, believe in it, and extend it to others every day, we continue the work of building the community we want to see in the future.

Our Values Call Us To:

  • Affirm the dignity of every person
  • Reject the lies told about our immigrant neighbors
  • Build bridges across difference
  • Co-create communities where everyone can thrive

Other Actions & Resources:

  • Choose local care. Contribute to food banks and mutual aid networks, amplify positive and welcoming messages, and take everyday actions that remind neighbors they are not alone.
  • Add your voice to a culture of welcoming, safety, and dignity through the Welcoming America’s “Draw the Line” pledge to protect our neighbors and stand against violence and fear — reaffirming that welcoming, safety, and dignity are the foundation of strong, connected communities. We join them in their call for accountability. Please sign on and encourage others to do so!
  • Click here to read more about Somali Americans and other immigrant neighbors in rural Minnesota who are mobilizing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Click here to read our blog on how to keep our communities safe & connected during times of uncertainty. 

Printable Resources in Multiple Languages

A welcoming community is a safe community – especially for our youth. We’ve updated and expanded our Bullying and Responding to Hate Crimes & Hate Incidents resources so every family can have access to tools for safety and inclusion. Download and share them in your school, workplace or neighborhood:

Bring These Conversations to your Community

If you would like to host a deeper discussion – whether at a school, parent group, workplace, or faith community – we can help facilitate. Tolls like Cracking The Codes, a film exploring race and equity, can spark meaningful dialogue that strengthens inclusion. We have other tools available for how to facilitate difficult conversations! Please reach out and we would love to meet with you.

  • Cracking The Codes is a film designed to help groups talk about race and equity. Because these conversations are vital to creating inclusion and belonging, we can help bring this tool to your workplace, neighborhood, school or faith group. Email us to start planning a community dialogue.

Resources for Opposing Hate

Resources to learn more about hate groups

  1. Southern Poverty Law Center provides in-depth information on hate groups, hate crimes, and hate incidents across the U.S. It’s a valuable resource for learning how hate manifests in communities and how to respond.
  2. Decoding Hate Symbols: from Viking hammers to flags of fictional countries, National Geographic breaks down the origins and evolution of hate symbols.
  3. Facing History & Ourselves is an educational organization and resource hub dedicated to using lessons of history to challenge teachers and students to stand up to bigotry and hate. They offer a wide range of materials, including lesson plans, primary sources, teaching strategies, and professional development opportunities.
  4. Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a leading source for information and advocacy on civil rights issues in the U.S. It offers updates, resources, and campaigns that promote equality, protect voting rights, and advance justice for all communities.

We stand with Minnesota communities. We honor those who we have lost and been harmed. And we recommit ourselves to building a nation of neighbors and world rooted in dignity, care and collective well-being. 

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Stories We Shared – Photos from Welcoming Week 2025 & Beyond!

Welcoming Week 2025: Stories We Share

Welcoming Week: September 12-21 and beyond!


Welcoming Week 2025 has been a beautiful celebration of Nebraska’s cultural richness, inclusion, and building strong connected communities – with a few more events still to come! This year, creative Welcomers across Nebraska are hosting over 70 events in more than 9 communities across the state from Scottsbluff and Grand Island to Crete and South Sioux City. Events included local business tours, community celebrations, cultural festivals and performances, main street parades, learning events and conversations, multilingual storytelling, and neighbors coming together to share space in art, music and food, all to ensure everyone in our community can feel a sense of belonging! 

Check-out these photos of a few more of the #WelcomingWeek2025 events that have happened across Nebraska:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Celebrando Siouxland & Lotería Night with Unity in Action and many local partners

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Are One & Salsa Night with Grand Island Welcoming Initiative

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrate Crete with Doane University and Crete in Motion 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Fun Night with Lexington Public Library & TinaMaria – HOPE Esperanza

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community Potluck with HOPE Esperanza & Friends

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Lincoln Unites! Celebration & Karen Society of Nebraska service project

Join the Statewide Celebration: Nebraska Stories We Share!

This Welcoming Week kicked off a story gathering effort that continues after Welcoming Week through the year. Nebraskans everywhere are lifting up the journeys, traditions and roots that connect us all. 

It’s easy to join! Just follow these easy steps:

  1. First, select a story prompt to use to tell your story.
  2. Second, select how to share your story.
  3. Third, use our toolkit to find tools and resources to help tell your story. 

Access the toolkit here to learn more and join us! 

(You will have access to social media templates, and printouts for in-person gatherings)

Don’t forget to submit your own story and be featured on Nebraska is Home social media, helping inspire connection and belonging across our state. Together, we’re showing that We Belong Together. 

 

Beyond Welcoming Week events to come!

Click here to find a few more local Nebraska events NEAR YOU! …And then Nebraska communities’ local inclusion and belonging work continues! Take a moment to reflect on your Welcoming Week and the opportunities to build upon it – whether inviting someone new you met to another community event, continuing your personal learning, expanding community learning, or maybe just regrouping with other Welcomers to say “What’s next?” 

Thank you to all for celebrating Welcoming Week 2025 and for being an integral part of what makes Nebraska home for so many! Please reach out to us to support additional welcoming and belonging efforts throughout the year.

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Welcoming Week Continues! More events across Nebraska!

Welcoming Week: September 12-21 and beyond!

& Public Calendar of Nebraska Events

Nebraskans across the state have kicked off Welcoming Week with a great start and we’re still celebrating! In communities from Scottsbluff to South Sioux City, there are film screenings, dance parties, community art, local business tours, family fun nights & story hours, local service projects, street food – so many ways to connect, learn, and have fun with neighbors! 

There are events every day across Nebraska with more over the weekend. Bring your family! Invite your neighbor! Ask a co-worker to join you! 


 

 

 

 

Community members celebrate Lincoln’s 4 Star Welcoming City Certification reflecting years of community collaboration across sectors to ensure all residents can fully participate in and contribute to community life. Lincoln joins Crete as the second Certified Welcoming City. 


 

 

 

 

Grand Island Neighbors gathered for the 4th Street Business Tour! 


 

 

 


Latino Festivals are happening in many communities during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

 

Click here to find local Nebraska events NEAR YOU! Nebraskans across the state are hosting cultural performances, learning events, festivals and parades, and sharing food and stories of belonging and more! See this calendar of more than 70 events in communities across Nebraska!

Join a virtual event or participate in a Welcoming Week event outside Nebraska if you are traveling – Welcoming Week is being celebrated around the world!

Participate in the Statewide Effort: Nebraska Stories We Share!

This Welcoming Week, Nebraskans everywhere are lifting up the journeys, traditions and roots that connect us all. 

It’s easy to join: share your story using one of our prompts and post on your own social media, share in person or submit your story to us! 

Click here to learn more about the effort and join us!

Don’t forget to submit your own story and be featured on Nebraska is Home social media, helping inspire connection and belonging across our state. Together, we’re showing that We Belong Together. 

 

Print a Welcomer sign for your office/business, post on social media, or use the Toolkit to create social media graphics, email banners or virtual meeting backgrounds in your next video call! 

Reach out to Eric and Christa if you’d like to discuss doing something in your workplace, among friends, at your place of worship or somewhere else. We have some ideas that could be done with quick planning. 

Engage on social media! Share your photos and experiences with welcoming on social media using the hashtag #WelcomingWeek2025. Follow Nebraska Is Home and Welcoming America on Facebook or @WelcomingUSA on Instagram.

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Welcoming Week events across Nebraska! September 13-22

Welcoming Week 2025 is here!

Welcoming Week: September 12-21 and beyond! & Public Calendar of Nebraska Events

Welcoming Week is a great opportunity to get to know neighbors – new and old – to build strong and connected communities, to embrace the universal values of welcoming places, and to celebrate culture, helping everyone to belong and feel at home. Because our communities are strongest when everyone knows they belong. 

This year’s Welcoming Week theme “The Stories We Share“ invites us all to build understanding and celebrate our differences while also finding what we have in common. Through that understanding, we can help shape what comes next alongside our neighbors. 

Join neighbors here in Nebraska, across the country and around the globe, where community members are recognizing, no matter where we’re from and our different backgrounds, our common values and our future call on us to imagine what we can achieve when we listen and learn from one another. Across Nebraska, there are film screenings, dance parties, community art, local business tours, family fun nights & story hours, local service projects, street food – so many ways to connect, learn, and have fun with neighbors!

We know that here in Nebraska, welcoming is a core part of who we are, and we have a proud history of welcoming. No matter our different backgrounds, we share traditions and stories that started first in community, in finding commonalities, and in supporting each other as people, friends, and neighbors. 

You can enjoy Welcoming Week whether you are organizing an activity, sharing a message of community, or are just curious about getting to know your neighbors. 

Check out these Local Nebraska Welcoming Week Events & More!

Click here to find local Nebraska events NEAR YOU! Nebraskans across the state are hosting cultural performances, learning events, festivals and parades, and sharing food and stories of belonging and more! See this calendar of more than 50 events in communities across Nebraska!

Join a virtual event or participate in a Welcoming Week event outside Nebraska if you are traveling – Welcoming Week is being celebrated around the world!

Share Your Story – Be Part of Nebraska Stories We Share!

This Welcoming Week, we are lifting up the journeys, traditions and roots that connect us all. Join people across Nebraska in Stories We Share by posting your own story or photo and using the hashtag #StoriesWeShareNE. 

Click here to learn more about the campaign and join us!

Your story could be featured on Nebraska is Home social media, helping inspire connection and belonging across our state. Together, we’re showing that We Belong Together.

Here’s how else you can participate if you cannot attend an event!

Print a Welcomer sign for your office/business, post on social media, or use the Toolkit to create social media graphics, email banners or virtual meeting backgrounds in your next video call! 

Reach out to either of us (Eric and Christa) if you’d like to discuss doing something in your workplace, among friends, at your place of worship or somewhere else. We have some ideas that could be done with quick planning. 

Engage on social media! Share your photos and experiences with welcoming on social media using the hashtag #WelcomingWeek2025. Follow Nebraska Is Home and Welcoming America on Facebook or @WelcomingUSA on Instagram.

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Welcoming Week Coming Soon! September 12-21

Welcoming Week 2025: Stories We Share

Welcoming Week: September 12-21 and beyond!

Every year, in communities across Nebraska and across the country and globe, community members host a variety of learning, celebration, arts, culture, and other events during and beyond Welcoming Week!

Welcoming Week is a meaningful time to connect with both new and longtime neighbors, celebrate diverse cultures, and embrace the universal value of inclusion – because our communities are strongest when everyone feels they belong. This year’s Welcoming Week theme “Stories We Share” aims to celebrate differences and spot what we have in common through the Stories We Share. 

During Welcoming Week, bring your community together around the stories we share: stories that connect us and make us stronger. By sharing stories, we build understanding. Through that understanding, we shape what’s next. Our future’s calling us to imagine what we can achieve when we listen and learn from one another. 

Here’s how to participate & plan your event:

Access the Welcoming Week Toolkit! This toolkit contains resources and guidance to support you in planning and promoting Welcoming Week events. You can find social media tips and assets, media relations support, logos and other visuals, event planning best practices and event examples, as well as information on this year’s theme: Stories We Share! 

Let us know your plans for local events, so we can add them to the Nebraska Welcoming Week Calendar! (Email us: egarciamendez@neappleseed.org & cyoakum@neappleseed.org.) Nebraskans are hosting cultural performances, learning events, festivals and parades, and sharing food and stories of belonging and more! Also you may add your events to the Welcoming America map here! Keep up to date with this calendar to see events in communities across the state and country be added as Welcoming Week approaches!

Join a virtual event or participate in a Welcoming Week event outside Nebraska if you are traveling – Welcoming Week is being celebrated around the world!

Print a Welcomer sign for your office/business, post on social media, or use it during your next video call! 

Engage on social media! Share your photos and experiences with welcoming on social media using the hashtag “#WelcomingWeek2025”. Follow Nebraska Is Home and Welcoming America on Facebook. 

We are here to help! Remember to reach out to Eric or Christa with any questions or thought partnership you may need in your planning! 

Join us for the 11th-Annual Welcoming Convening Series – Bridging to Belonging!

We hope to see you at our next session of this year’s 11th-annual (virtual) statewide welcoming convening series, where we’ll share ideas and inspiration for community inclusion efforts throughout the year! 

Session 2: Authentic Allyship in Community

Wednesday, July 9th, 10 – 11:30 AM CT (9 – 10:30 AM MT)

Come learn about how you can show up as an authentic ally in your community. Many of us have different skills and comfort levels. Lean into your skills and comfort level and care for the community. This training will be led by Kimara Snipes!

Kimara is the creator of the Authentic Allyship training series, which supports individuals and institutions in moving beyond performative inclusion toward meaningful, values-based action. Her facilitation style is rooted in asset-based community development, cultural humility, and the belief that storytelling is a tool for transformation.

(Zoom link to join will be sent to your email address after registration)

Kimara Snipes

Kimara Snipes is a respected civic leader, trainer, and community strategist with two decades of experience advancing equity, neighborhood power, and inclusive public engagement. She currently serves as Executive Director of One Omaha, a nonprofit organization that empowers residents to lead where they live, strengthening civic infrastructure through leadership development, grassroots grantmaking, and public engagement strategies.

Born in North Omaha and raised in South Omaha, Kimara brings a citywide perspective shaped by lived experience across communities. A former candidate for mayor, she also serves as Vice President of the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education, where she champions educational equity and student voice. Her deep relationships, paired with her ability to navigate systems from grassroots to government, make her a trusted advocate and connector.

Save these dates! More information on these sessions to come! 

Session 3: Wellness through Indigenous and Immigrant Wisdom

  • Wednesday, August 13th, 7 – 8:30 PM CT (6 – 7:30 PM MT)(Evening Session)

Session 4:  Your Silence Hurts – Disrupting Bias

  • Wednesday, September 10th, 10 – 11:30 AM CT (9 – 10:30 AM MT)


Please let us know what you need to be able to participate!

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that allow all participants to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Christa Yoakum (402-438-8853 x114, cyoakum@neappleseed.org) or Eric Garcia-Mendez (402-438-8853 x113, egarciamendez@neappleseed.org). We will try our best to accommodate requests. 

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Welcoming Week is Underway: Local Events inside!

Let’s Keep Celebrating Welcoming Week!
September 13th-22nd and beyond!

From business tours to family story-times, to celebrating immigrant neighbors, we’re loving all the ways Nebraskans are celebrating Welcoming Week 2024! There are still lots of local events to come! Take a look and invite a friend or family member to join you! 

Check-out these photos of a few of the #WelcomingWeek2024 events that have happened so far across the state:

Immigrant-Owned Business Tours in South Sioux City NE with Unity in Action! 

Storytime at Rooted Books & Gifts, Immigrant-Owned Business Tour, Welcoming Concert and Discussion with Dr.Velazquez with Grand Island Welcoming Initiative and Grand Island Young Professionals of Color! 

Columbus Table Talks: Homestead Dialogues & Civic Participation dialogues with Centro Hispano and Columbus Latino Young Professionals Association! 

Textile Show-and-Tell at International Quilt Museum, Holmes Lake Clean-up with Karen Society in Lincoln Nebraska, and the Latino Festival with El Centro de las Americas!

Want to join the fun? Here’s how to participate!:

Find local Nebraska events NEAR YOU! Nebraskans are hosting cultural performances, learning events, festivals and parades, and sharing food and stories of belonging and more! See this calendar of more than 50 events in communities across the state!

Join a virtual event or participate in a Welcoming Week event outside Nebraska if you are traveling – Welcoming Week is being celebrated around the world!

Print a Welcomer sign for your office/business, post on social media, or use a virtual Welcomer background in your next video call! 

Engage on social media! Share your photos and experiences with welcoming on social media using the hashtag “#WelcomingWeek2024”. Follow Nebraska Is Home and Welcoming America on Facebook or @WelcomingUSA and @NebraskaIsHome on Instagram and Twitter. 

Thank you for celebrating Welcoming Week 2024 with us!

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Nebraska Welcoming Session 1 on June 7! Welcoming Week & Belonging Events

See you at Session 1: We’re All In for Belonging & Welcoming Week 2024

Friday, June 7th from 10:00-11:30 am CST (9:00-10:30 am MT) on Zoom

Join community members from across Nebraska who are building thriving communities of belonging!

We hope to see you at the first session of this year’s 10th-annual (virtual) statewide welcoming convening series, where we’ll share ideas and inspiration for Welcoming Week 2024 as well as community inclusion efforts throughout the year! Every September, communities across Nebraska and the country host Welcoming Week events, and it is an opportunity to celebrate and embrace belonging work.

In this session, we’ll get to hear about Welcoming Week ideas and tips from local Nebraska leaders, while also sharing and getting feedback on our own ideas for spaces to bring neighbors together to build belonging. 

Together, we’re all in for:

Learning about positive practices and purpose for Land Acknowledgements at our Welcoming Week and belonging events. We’ll hear from Renee Sans Souci, scholar and Umoⁿhoⁿ woman, about making Land Acknowledgements meaningful, and how to go beyond a single statement to other steps that create change and continue to honor Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of the land and recognize their important ongoing relationship with the land.

Dreaming big with Unity in Action from South Sioux City, as they share how the Celebrate Siouxland festival started small and incrementally grew to the BIG celebration with many community partners that it is today.

 

 

Celebrating Nebraska’s rich history of welcoming immigrants with Chris Hochstetler from the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island. Learn about the deep work going on in Grand Island, as the community embraces its immigrant history. 

 

 

Please let us know what you need to be able to participate!

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that allow all participants to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Christa Yoakum (402-438-8853 x114, cyoakum@neappleseed.org) or Eric Garcia-Mendez (402-438-8853 x113, egarciamendez@neappleseed.org). We will try our best to accommodate requests. 

During these summer sessions, you will have the opportunity to hear and learn from experienced local leaders, participate in workshops, and network with peers, all with the aim of enhancing our collective knowledge and skills. Hope to see you for the following Fridays!

Remember to mark your calendars and plan to join us for the rest of the series as well:

  • July 19, 10:00-11:30 am CT (9:00-10:30 am MT) – Session 2: We’re All In for Language Access
  • August 9, 10:00-11:30 am CT (9:00-10:30 am MT) – Session 3: We’re All In for Lived Expertise on Local Boards
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Register Now! ‘We’re All In for Belonging’ Welcoming Convening Series

Join community leaders from across Nebraska who are building vibrant communities of belonging! 

Join our (virtual) annual statewide welcoming convening series – which brings together community leaders from all over Nebraska to share experiences, insights, and strategies for building welcoming and inclusive communities. 

During these summer sessions, we will have the opportunity to hear and learn from experienced local leaders, participate in workshops, and network with peers, all with the aim of enhancing our collective knowledge and skills. We hope you will join us on the following Fridays as we work toward building belonging for all. 

Save the dates now and register for the series!

(You can register for the series and attend whichever dates work for you!)

June 7 10:00-11:30am CT (9:00-10:30am MT)
Session 1: We’re All In for Belonging & Welcoming Week 2024

Every year, communities across Nebraska host September Welcoming Week events as one way of building communities of belonging. These events – large and small – are a great way to bring neighbors together to learn about one another and celebrate what they love about their community. In this session, we’ll share tips and ideas on hosting neighbor-to-neighbor events and building strong inclusion practices any time during the year, and especially as we prepare for Welcoming Week 2024! This year’s theme, We’re All In, invites communities to showcase how they’re building places that value all perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Learn what others are all in on and hear from leaders who have hosted successful Welcoming Week events across the state! Are you all in on civic participation? Or sharing culture? Or healthy communities? 

July 19 10:00-11:30am CT (9:00-10:30am MT)
Session 2: We’re All In for Language Access

Being able to communicate is foundational to belonging. Language Access furthers organizational and community change efforts that advance equity and access for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Together, we’ll learn the significance of Language Access, best practices and resources, and where to start with a plan as we strive to provide more equitable access to health care, local government and services. 

August 9 10:00-11:30am CT (9:00-10:30 MT)
Session 3: We’re All In for Lived Expertise on Local Boards

We know that people who have lived expertise as immigrant community members, leaders of color, and other diverse backgrounds bring fresh perspectives and experiences that enrich decision making, and can deepen understanding of community dynamics, but how do we ensure new members and the board are prepared? What are the expectations and duties of board members? How will the board receive new ideas? We’ll explore how to prepare new board members and the boards themselves.  

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Photos + Videos from Your Welcoming Week!

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Belonging: Timothy’s Story

Timothy

Timothy shares his story of making bad decisions in order to belong. People who have been incarcerated and people with mental health problems are often considered “other” and different. Timothy chose Mental Health Awareness Month to tell his story, who helped him to know he belongs, and how he now helps others.

“Rick would always let me know […] helping others can also help yourself”

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health and wellness is important to overall health.You are not alone. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 U.S. adults experienced a mental illness in 2020. Part of building belonging is understanding how important it is to talk about mental health in our families and communities. 

If you need suicide or mental health-related crisis support, or are worried about someone else, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text ‘MHA’ to 741741. Starting July 16, 2022, 988 will become the national number to call for mental health crisis and suicide prevention.