Photos + Videos from Your Welcoming Week!
Belonging: Timothy’s Story
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.
Tea Time: Upcoming inclusion events you won’t want to miss!
How are we in May already? But here we all are, and as the May flowers blossom in all their colorful glory, there are many emerging opportunities around cultivating communities where everyone feels that they belong.
Belonging Begins With Us
Together, we can create communities where everyone feels they belong. Together with Welcoming America’s Belonging Begins With Us campaign, we are thrilled to share local Nebraska stories, beginning with Tut’s story. Tut found and created a sense of belonging in Lincoln, and is now helping others buy their first homes, putting roots down to become vital members of their community.
We will be sharing more stories on our Belonging Begins With Us page, so stay tuned!
Rural Assembly Everywhere!
Rural Assembly Everywhere
May 10 and 11 from 1 to 4 pm CT
Free, Virtual Event
Rural Assembly Everywhere will this year feature Nebraska inclusion leaders Nancy Tellez, City of Crete Community Assistance Director; Valeria Rodriguez, paralegal with Immigrant Legal Services and Co-Founder at Empowering Families:Empoderando Familias in Scottsbluff; and Christa Yoakum, Senior Welcoming Coordinator at Nebraska Appleseed. Join the conversation about successes and challenges of rural community inclusion!
Rural Assembly Everywhere is a virtual festival for rural advocates and the rural-curious, listeners and leaders, neighbors and admirers. Participants will enjoy two days of programming featuring artists and poets, civic leaders, and experts.
Rural Assembly is a nonprofit connecting with people and organizations across the country dedicated to building more opportunity, changing perceptions in service to healing a divided nation, and working toward better policy for rural communities.
Welcoming Interactive
Welcoming Interactive
May 18 to 20, 2022
In-person event in Charlotte, North Carolina
There is still time to register! We hope you’ll join us at the annual Welcoming Interactive. This gathering of people from nonprofits, local governments, and many other sectors highlights successful practices and inspiring stories about immigrant inclusion, programs, policies, and partnerships on economic development, civic participation, government leadership, and more. Attendees learn about local innovations from peer communities and come away with new ideas and energy to foster welcoming places for all.
Welcoming Interactive is hosted by Welcoming America, a nonprofit leading a movement of inclusive communities to become more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs, including immigrants.
Race and Equity Resources
Co-creating a home where everyone belongs, has a voice, and is valued in their fullness requires us to tackle systemic barriers to inclusion and belonging. Here are some tools for that journey of learning and understanding together.
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- America Needs All of Us (Welcoming America) – a toolkit for messaging about race, bias, and change
- Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism and Racial Justice (Opportunity Agenda)
- Othering & Belonging Institute Associate Director Denise Herd’s work linking COVID-19, racism, and police violence – analysis to inform statements (UC Berkeley)
- Responding to Everyday Bigotry – Southern Poverty Law Center
- Black and Pink – Unpacking Solidarity Toolkit
- Racial Equity Impact Assessment Guide by Race Forward
- Accountability Principles by Race Forward – helps you to determine next step actions and opportunities for improvement individually or organizationally (includes a list of additional learning resources!)
- Further reading and resources at NAACP and Black Lives Matter
- Follow the Welcoming team blog at Nebraska Is Home
Belonging: Tut’s Story
Tut, Lincoln
An item or belonging that is special:
When I think of my journey, I remember my mother’s purse. She has had it since we left the refugee camp. The purse is hand-woven and sturdy. It was a gift to my family. It reminds us of all the struggles, of what we can do, and it keeps us grounded.
On feeling left out:
It seems very vivid. I came from San Diego to Nashville and was in English as a Second Language classes. I was the only African kid. Nobody wanted to be friends. They called me names. I didn’t feel welcomed. I felt alienated.
But when some family moved near us, a cousin became a buddy who was more outgoing and could make friends. He brought me along with him and bridged that gap.
On creating a community of belonging:
Now, I watch and can tell from people’s body language when someone is withdrawing from the conversation or when someone feels unaccepted or when they are not validated. I invite them in. I ask their opinion and for their input. Through my work, I get to help people buy their first homes and put down roots becoming vital members of their neighborhood.
Tea Time with Khenda: Creating Communities of Belonging
Welcome, I’m glad you’re here. The thing about brewing a good cup of tea is you can’t rush the process. You have to put the tea leaves in and pour the water slowly so as to not make a mess. Then you have to wait a couple of minutes to allow that tea to steep, because boiling would burn the tea leaves and extract too many tannins, which are what give teas their bitterness. If you want a quality cup of tea, there is no way around the waiting and allowing the process. In that way, it is a lot like building welcoming and inclusive communities, which requires a lot of patience and waiting for results to unfold once you have added the leaves and poured the water.
Continue reading “Tea Time with Khenda: Creating Communities of Belonging”