Author: Christa Yoakum

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Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! 

The month of May was chosen to celebrate AAPI heritage and culture to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants who arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843. May is also the anniversary of the 1869 completion of the transcontinental railroad, which was built mostly by Chinese immigrants.

Today, the Asian Americans and Pacific Islander community continues to face discrimination and barriers to opportunities, despite their role in building this country.

Our communities are strongest when everyone feels safe, valued, and respected. The Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Island population in Nebraska is growing, contributing greatly to our communities as business owners, faith leaders, artists, students, teachers, and in many other roles.

This month, there are many ways you can learn more about and be more inclusive of our AAPI neighbors and co-workers.

Community Events

Sunday, April 30, 1:00 – 5:00 PM, Lancaster Event Center, 4100 N. 84th Street, Lincoln
The Asian Community and Cultural Center kicks off Asian American and Pacific Islander month with the AAPI Heritage Celebration featuring performances, family games, multi-cultural demonstration, Asian cuisine and more!

Saturday, May 27, 1:00 – 6:00 PM, Antelope Park, 1650 Memorial Drive, Lincoln
The Karen Society of Nebraska will close out AAPI Month with the AAPI Festival 2023. Everyone’s favorite DMNV Lion Dancers will perform. Other performers include the Pole Dance, vocalists and musicians.

Learn Throughout the Month

Untold Migrant Stories, a program at the Asian Community & Cultural Center
Find stories by local AAPI youth about their lives, their families’ journey – opportunities and struggles – in their own words.

Food

Visit local Asian restaurants, try flavors new to you, or learn to cook a new recipe.

Learn to cook Pad Thai from our friends at the Karen Society of Nebraska

  • Insta Pot Chicken Biryani, Biryani is a popular Indian one-pot dish. It’s generally made with rice and some kind of meat and flavorful spices.
  • Japchae, a Korean warm pasta salad, with naturally gluten-free pasta (sweet potato vermicelli) and a ton of vegetables.

Books

Music

Take Action

Write or call your state senator and ask them to support LB298 with Amendment 1188. This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability, or national origin in schools, nor can schools policy prohibit a student from wearing attire, including religious attire, natural and protective hairstyles, adornments, or other characteristics associated with race, national origin, or religion; or require a student’s hair be permanently or temporarily altered.

Write or call your state senator and ask them to vote for LB138 with Amendment 837, which would provide and authorize a “driving privilege card” for Ukrainian refugees who have settled in Nebraska yet are ineligible for a “operator’s permit” (ordinary drivers license).

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Photos + Videos from Your Welcoming Week!

YAY for a successful Welcoming Week 2022!

Welcoming Week 2022 gave us a chance to celebrate #WhereWeBelong by bringing people together across lines of difference to develop greater understanding, mutual support, and communities where we all belong.

This year, creative Welcomers across Nebraska hosted festivals, virtual cooking tutorials, and storytelling events. And several local elected leaders gave official proclamations for Welcoming Week, including in South Sioux City, Columbus, and Lincoln!

Here are a few photos of some of the celebrations across the state. Check out a slideshow photo roundup:

See Thumbnails

Beyond Welcoming Week

We love Welcoming Week so much we’re extending it, so the fun doesn’t end! Here are some upcoming events and ways that you can continue building communities #WhereWeBelong

Thank you for celebrating with us, and for being an integral part of what makes Nebraska so welcoming.

Please reach out to Christa and me to support additional welcoming and belonging activities throughout the year!

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Welcoming Week is Underway: Local Events inside!

Welcoming Week

Celebrate Welcoming Week!

Happy Welcoming Week! Nebraskans across the state are celebrating what makes Nebraska communities vibrant and strong.

Here’s how to participate:

Find local events NEAR YOU! From festivals and parades, to learning events, cultural performances, and sharing food and stories of belonging, there’s still time to join a Nebraska Welcoming Week event in a community near you!

You can also 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 or to post on social media or use a virtual Welcomer background in your next video call! You can see examples below of leaders from across the state who joined us virtually to kick off Welcoming Week together as part of our statewide convening to build more inclusive communities!

Welcomers

Don’t forget to engage on social media! Share your photos and experiences with welcoming on social media using the hashtag #WhereWeBelong. Follow Nebraska Is Home and Welcoming America on Facebook or @WelcomingUSA and @NebraskaIsHome on Instagram and Twitter.

Enjoy these photos of Welcoming Week events that have happened so far across the state:

Harvest Moon Festival
Yezidi dance group performing at the Harvest Moon Festival organized by the Asian Community and Cultural Center in Lincoln
Rogelio
Rogelio Rodriguez with Unity in Action speaks at South Sioux City Council about the Welcoming Week proclamation that the Council gave
Why Lincoln
Community members came together in Lincoln to share stories of migration around the theme “Where We Belong: Why Lincoln”

Thank you for celebrating Welcoming Week and Where We Belong with us!

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Welcoming Week events across Nebraska! Sept. 9-18

Welcoming Week

Welcoming Week 2022 is here!
September 9 – 18 and beyond!

This 10th anniversary of Welcoming Week is a great opportunity to get to know neighbors – new and old – to embrace the universal values of welcoming places, and to celebrate culture, helping everyone to belong and feel at home. This year’s Welcoming Week theme “Where We Belong” aims to go deeper and spark individual reflection on how and why belonging occurs, and ways we can break barriers to foster belonging for all, including immigrants and refugees.

Here in Nebraska and across the globe community members are practicing what makes welcoming places and fosters belonging for all people.

Find local events NEAR YOU! Nebraskans are hosting festivals, parades, learning events, cultural performances with music and dance, sharing food and stories of belonging, and more!

Join a virtual event or include a Welcoming Week event if you are traveling this week.

Print a Welcomer sign for your office, business or to post on social media!

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

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Let’s launch Welcoming Week together!

Join us for the final session of the Nebraska is Home virtual summer series Practicing Community Tools for Race Equity and Belonging, as we launch Welcoming Week together!

Friday, September 9th at 10:00 AM-11:30 AM (CT) / 11:00 AM-12:30 PM (MT)
Inclusion Practices Everywhere in Community Work

Our final session falls on the first day of Welcoming Week, as groups across Nebraska and all over the country hold events that bring neighbors from different backgrounds together to get to know one another and celebrate what unites us as a community! This year, the Welcoming Week theme is “Where We Belong.”

Join our virtual session with other Nebraskans as we celebrate this week of belonging! Together, we’ll:

    • Preview techniques to speak up against stereotypes and other biased behaviors, without blame or guilt;
    • Share ideas, tips and learnings about holding neighbor-to-neighbor events year-round that promote inclusion and belonging; and
    • Create a Welcoming Week message together and hear what other Nebraskans have planned for this week and beyond!

REGISTER NOW
(If you registered for previous events in the series, there is no need to register again.)

Welcomers

We hope to see you there!

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Tea Time: Gear up for Welcoming Week!

Welcoming Week

Updates & Opportunities for Inclusive Communities

I’m happy you are here. This is my favorite time of year, when the days are sunny and breezy, music and cultural festivals are in full swing, and Welcoming Week is just around the corner!

Welcoming Week: “Where We Belong” Sept. 9-18

Welcoming Week is a national initiative that Nebraskans participate in each year in September. It’s a time for cities, organizations, and communities to hold events that bring neighbors from different backgrounds together to get to know one another and celebrate what unites us as a community. This year, Welcoming Week is September 9-18.

The theme for Welcoming Week this year is “Where We Belong.” By focusing on the places and spaces that foster belonging (ie. cities, workplaces, neighborhoods, etc.), we can go deeper and spark individual reflection on how and why belonging occurs, and ways we can break barriers so that places can foster belonging for all community members, including immigrants and refugees.

What’s happening across Nebraska?

Each September, people across Nebraska seize the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to inclusiveness by hosting dozens of cultural and bridge-building events!

Events can be big or small, virtual or in-person. Find ideas, inspiration, and a toolkit on the official Welcoming Week website. You can also check out this recap of last year’s Welcoming Week festivities across Nebraska.

Already planning your Welcoming Week event? We’d love to hear about it and help get the word out. Email me!

We’ll start to add local events to our Nebraska Is Home Blog soon, so check back on the blog and help spread the word by sharing it on social media.

In the meantime, check out Belonging Begins With Us, where community members share their thoughts on ‘belonging.’ You can also share your story!

I can’t wait to hear about what’s happening in your community!

Beyond Welcoming Week

If you haven’t started planning your event yet, it’s not too late! We are extending Welcoming Week to the entire month of September and beyond. Send me a message, and I would be happy to help you plan an event to showcase what makes your community welcoming. The Welcoming Week Toolkit has lots of useful ideas, information, and even social media graphics to help you get started.

Thank you for making Nebraska a place where we all belong.

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Get ready for Welcoming Week!

This year, Welcoming Week celebrates its 10th anniversary with the theme “Where We Belong.” Since 2012, thousands of Nebraskans have participated through the arts, music, community meals, recipe exchanges, voter registration, and more —growing to more than 30 events in at least 8 communities and signaling broad commitment to welcoming values across our state.

Join us in 2022 to recognize and celebrate the people, places, and values that ensure everyone feels welcome and that they belong, no matter where they come from. Khenda and I are glad to talk with you and help to plan what you can do in your community! 

You can find our contact information and some ideas to get your started below.

Plan your event and join us in Celebrating Welcoming Week!
September 9-18, 2022
#WhereWeBelong

WELCOMING WEEK RESOURCES

  • Resources and best practices for planning your event – See slide presentation and recording
  • Welcoming Week Toolkit
  • Visual assets to promote your event!
  • Campaign hashtags: #WelcomingWeek2022 and #WhereWeBelong
  • National Partner social media handles: @WelcomingUSA (Instagram/Twitter) @WelcomingAmerica (LinkedIn/Facebook)

Share your event with the Event Submission Form and be counted among the many events across Nebraska and across the country:

We urge you to continue to visit the Welcoming Week website where you can sign up for updates, add your events to the map, and much more!

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Our past, our present and our future! Celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month

June is Immigrant Heritage Month. This is an opportunity to reflect on our past, take hold of our present, and imagine our future. Immigrant Nebraskans shaped the state we live in today, building our agricultural economy, as entrepreneurs, educators, inventors, laborers and community leaders. Today, immigrant neighbors continue in those same roles adding to the rich tapestry of culture, art, and community across this state, playing a role in together shaping our collective future.

WATCH: Celebrating #ImmigrantHeritageMonth

 

It is hard to find a part of everyday life in the United States that immigrant Americans have not shaped – our impact is felt in the movies we watch, the music we listen to, the food we eat, and so much more.

To Cook or Eat:

Taste of Belonging: This collection pairs recipes from diverse cultures with activities that connect people around a shared table and get them working together on a common goal.

The Return of Taste of 27th Street: This guided walking tour is now sold out, but you can still visit each restaurant: Intuit Raw Foods, Banhwich Cafe, Misky Bakery, and Bloom in Lincoln.

Support your favorite local immigrant-owned restaurant.  Or try a new one!

Events to Attend:

June 17, 18 & 19 Stromsburg Swedish Festival 

June 17, 18 & 19 Holdrege Swedish Days

June 18 Omaha World Refugee Day

June 24, 25 & 26 Clarkson Czech Days

Learn More:

June 28 6th Annual Columbus Diversity and Inclusion Summit  For anyone, especially HR professionals, business leaders, community leaders, and D&I practitioners interested in supporting diversity and inclusion efforts for our growing communities and workplaces!

Now through September 20 Carne y Arena  at Kaneko in Omaha. This is an immersive VR experience recounting the harrowing journey of Central American and Mexican refugees. CARNE y ARENA is presented for the first time in Nebraska.

To Watch or Stream:

Local stories: Centro Hispano in Columbus invites you to celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month with the series Semillas del Destino! Tune in for new stories each Friday on their Facebook page – this Friday, watch Jose’s story!

Minari: Written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Minari is, at least in part, based on a true story. Minari, which won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, follows the story of an immigrant Korean family who move from California to Arkansas in hope of a better life and land to call their own.

Little America: Inspired by the true stories, “Little America” goes beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring, surprising stories of immigrant Americans, more relevant now than ever.

To Read:

      • The Next Great Migration (Sonia Shah)
      • The God Who Sees (Karen Gonzalez)
      • The Undocumented Americans (Karla Cornejo Villavicencio)
      • Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen (Jose Antonio Vargas)
      • The Ungrateful Refugee (Dina Nayeri)
      • The Good Immigrant (26 Writers Reflect on America)
      • The Land of Open Graves (Jason De Leon)
      • Once I Was You (Maria Hinojosa)
      • The Warmth of Other Suns (Isabel Wilkerson)
      • The Beekeeper of Aleppo (Christy Lefteri)
      • Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Services shares more information on these books and interviews with authors

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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.

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Hate

The three separate acts of violence over the past weekend are symptomatic of larger and deeper issues of anti-Blackness and anti-Asian sentiments in the United States. Harmful conspiracy theories have steadily gained visibility in mainstream rhetoric, media, and politics feeding hatred and promoting White Nationalism.

While we mourn the loss of life and pain inflicted on Buffalo, Laguna Beach, and Dallas, we are also angry that while motivation in each situation is not entirely clear, it is true that in each case the shooters left their home with the intent to do harm to people with a specific skin color or ethnic background.

Every person deserves to live without fear of harm or death because of the skin they exist in.

We are frustrated because we are here once again. We must make real our opposition to the political terror taking place around the country. It is not enough to grieve or to become angry. We must and can take action.

Humans need a sense of belonging and will seek that out if they don’t find it. Creating strong and inclusive communities, and knowing our neighbors can prepare us to provide support for communities of color and identify those drawn to White supremacy groups.

 WATCH: PBS Newshour “How America Can Respond to White Nationalist Violence”

This manual provides a guide for those who want to “do something” about hate, not only for the immediate aftermath of a hateful act, but for years to come to improve their community.
A Community Guide For Opposing Hate

Concerned about someone you know?
Confronting Conspiracy Theories And Organized Bigotry at Home: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers 

Hate crimes, an attempted crime, or a hate incident – threats, assault, and violence, or graffiti that is targeted because of race, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation – should be reported. Take photos if possible, write down details taking note of any words said or symbols. Even if these words or symbols don’t make sense to you, they may be helpful to the police.

Resources to learn more about hate groups:

Additional resources in multiple languages: