Author: Christa Yoakum

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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.

Read Tut’s Story

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.

Register Now

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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Lincoln and Lancaster County launch a Strategic Plan for Inclusion and Belonging!

How I make someone feel welcomeWe all have the power to make our neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools more welcoming. We’re thrilled that Lincoln and Lancaster County launched their community-wide Welcoming & Belonging Strategic Plan!  The plan is supported with funding awarded by the American Immigration Council.

“The plan includes a data report that highlights the crucial role that New Americans play in the community, and outlines action steps to facilitate equitable access to services for all residents,” said Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird in the launch press conference.

Nebraska is Home participated in the development of this plan, and one of the most impressive aspects of the process was how inclusive it was every step of the way. Stakeholders from many different cultural backgrounds and sectors came to the table to discuss and plan how to co-create a vibrant Community of Belonging, inclusive of and drawing on the strengths of all residents. Community members made recommendations in areas of equitable access, safe and healthy communities, civic engagement and community connections, education, economic opportunities, and affordable and quality housing.

The process started when the city and county received the Gateways for Growth Challenge, a competitive opportunity offered by Welcoming America and New American Economy (now American Immigration Council). Gateways for Growth provided research and technical assistance, and was awarded to the community because of the strong collaboration of area nonprofits and supportive local government. This month, Lancaster County accepted a $15,000 grant from American Immigration Council to support implementation.

This plan seeks not only to improve the quality of life of New Americans, but also to make the whole community stronger and more vibrant for all.

Check out the plan to read the recommendations for programs and policies that foster a community where everyone feels they belong!

The plan also includes spotlight stories! See below to read the stories of some members of the community, Solinee Phan, David Manzares, and Maysoon Shaheen.

Soulinnee Phan

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Belonging: Tut’s Story

Tut, Lincoln

An item or belonging that is special:

Tut's Mother's PurseWhen 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.

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[Early bird discounts available] Racial equity conferences coming up!

We are excited to share three national conferences this year each offering unique collaborative spaces to learn and share with others who, like you, are committed to racial equity, racial justice and working to create communities where everyone feels like they belong. Participants will have access to information, tools, and resources on racial equity, share successful practices and inspiring stories about immigrant inclusion, programs, policies, and partnerships on economic development, civic engagement, government leadership, and more. 

Please do let us know if you have any questions or if you are planning to attend so that we can meet up at the conference!

Welcoming Interactive, May 18-20 in Charlotte, North Carolina (Early Bird Registration discount through March 25, 2022.)
The Welcoming Interactive is an annual conference that highlights successful practices and inspiring stories about immigrant inclusion, programs, policies, and partnerships on economic development, civic engagement, 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.

Facing Race, November 17-19 in Phoenix, Arizona (Early Bird Registration discount through April 1, 2022.)
Facing Race is for all people who desire to build awareness of racial equity, identify solutions to dismantle systemic racism, and come together with people who share a passion for racial justice. Facing Race welcomes people of all ages, races, ethnicities, occupations, sexual orientations, gender identities, faiths, and political ideologies.Facing Race: A National Conference is presented by Race Forward, a national non-profit working to advance racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture.

Facing Race is hybrid this year with the full experience of the in-person conference and a hybrid program which includes all plenaries and 20 breakout and interactive sessions. (Let us know if you plan to attend the virtual conference and we will look for an opportunity to connect you with other Nebraskans informally to learn and share more.)

National Immigrant Inclusion Conference, December 11-13, National Harbor, Maryland
A project of the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), the National Immigrant Inclusion Conference (NIIC) is the nation’s largest gathering of the entire sector working on behalf of America’s immigrants and refugees. NIIC celebrates our commitment to an inclusive democracy that welcomes, integrates and uplifts all, recognizing the vital contributions and impact all communities have on our nation. The conference is an inspiring, collegial and intersectional space that showcases the expertise and innovation of a wide range of leaders, organizations, and networks all working on behalf of America’s immigrants and refugees and towards a shared vision of a welcoming democracy.

Watch your inbox for information about Nebraska Is Home’s summer convening series too!

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Tea Time: Statewide Book Club + See you next year!

Tea Time with Khenda

The quarterly newsletter where we share Updates & Opportunities for Inclusive Communities

This year has been full of wonderful opportunities and challenges, and I could not be happier to have shared the journey with all of you Welcoming leaders of Nebraska.

You’re invited: Statewide book club!

As you may have heard, we are ending the year with a bang and began a book club, Real Talk on Racism, around, You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Nebraska authors, Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar.

You’re invited to join the book club! This is the perfect book to curl up on cold winter nights, or to gift to a friend or family member!

Find out where to get the book locally, register to join a discussion near you, or find out how to host a small book club yourself HERE!

Join us in Meeting the Authors!

Don’t forget to register for our virtual conversation with Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar, moderated by Lincoln City Councilwoman Sändra Washington on January 19, 2022! The discussion starts at 5:30 pm CT and the authors will join at 6 pm CT.

Register Now

Thank you and see you in 2022!

Thank you for all of your incredible work to build a more inclusive and welcoming Nebraska. We know this work is hard and full of challenges, and this year was no exception. But you persevered with grace, creativity, and strength. We appreciate you!

On behalf of Nebraska Is Home, we wish you all a wonderful holiday break and a happy New Year!

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Honor Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month and it’s a time to celebrate the cultures, accomplishments, and contributions of Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

Telling stories and sharing culture through dance, family traditions, art, and music, we can learn contemporary diversity and the long history of Indigenous peoples across the land we now call the United States. 

On our continuous journey to learn more and to honor and respect people, you are invited to celebrate the history, culture, and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives. But perhaps the best way to honor Indigenous people this month and year-round is to rethink history and question our history books, to shine a light on truth, acknowledging our painful history and aspiring for a more just society that seeks to lift, not erase, the lives, traditions, and cultures of the people who were here first. 

Continue reading “Honor Native American Heritage Month”

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Tea Time: Welcoming Week in Nebraska + more

Tea Time with Khenda

The quarterly newsletter where we share Updates & Opportunities for Inclusive Communities

Now that the leaves are changing color and autumn has arrived, I hope you are warming up with a steaming cup of your favorite tea or coffee. I am glad you’re here, so let’s share some feel-good stories.

Recently I sat down with Hope Dunbar on the CASATalk Podcast to talk about Nebraska Is Home and the growing Welcoming movement in our state. Listen to the episode!

Continue reading “Tea Time: Welcoming Week in Nebraska + more”

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Join us weekly for a conversation on racial equity

As we strive to build more welcoming communities where everyone feels they belong, we recognize that segregation and inequity are barriers to belonging. That is why it is important to educate ourselves about the causes (history) and effects (outcomes) of racism in our communities, and learn how to talk about them with those around us — so that we can break down systemic obstacles and create real inclusion.

Continue reading “Join us weekly for a conversation on racial equity”

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REGISTER NOW: Fostering Belonging Individually and Structurally series

Welcoming communities and places are made possible by people like you! Whether you’re a student, librarian, government worker, or business owner, each of us is empowered to foster more welcoming places at work, in our neighborhoods, and places of gathering where everyone feels like they belong. 

We hope you can join us for The Fostering Belonging Individually and Structurally series starting October 14th, by Welcoming America, which features three videos and accompanying webinars on belonging: what it means, what it looks like, and how we can create belonging as individuals with structural impact.

Continue reading “REGISTER NOW: Fostering Belonging Individually and Structurally series”

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Welcoming Week and beyond!

Neighbors all across Nebraska came together this Welcoming Week – virtually as well as physically – to celebrate, learn together, and take strides in creating communities where everybody can belong. 

Nebraskans hosted close to 30 events across more than eight communities, joining the growing movement to create more welcoming communities through intentional actions, practices, and policies. Immigrants, refugees, long-time residents, and community members of all backgrounds found imaginative ways to bring people together across lines of difference to develop greater understanding and mutual support, and to affirm that Belonging Begins With Us!

Continue reading “Welcoming Week and beyond!”