Category: Welcoming

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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!

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Delicious ways to celebrate Welcoming Week!

Welcoming Week

Happy Welcoming Week! It is often said that food is a great connector! The presence of food sets the table for conversation and curiosity — two essential ingredients for building community among people who have different backgrounds and identities. Under the right conditions, food can be a positive entry point for activities and initiatives that unite a community and decrease prejudice between different groups.

One great way to celebrate Welcoming Week is by trying a dish or recipe from a culture that’s different from your own.

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How to best support refugee resettlement agencies

Hate has no home hereNebraska has a long history of welcoming refugees, even having the nation’s largest per capita refugee resettlement rate in 2016. As events unfold in Afghanistan, we stand with our Afghan neighbors who call Nebraska home and make our communities strong and vibrant. 

We support the rapid processing and resettlement of Afghan individuals and families seeking safety, and those who—like the Laotians, Vietnamese, Iraqis, and others before them—protected and worked alongside Americans as translators, engineers, security guards, embassy clerks, and cultural advisors. Evacuations must continue until they are complete, not interrupted or halted by an arbitrary deadline. As we prepare to welcome our new neighbors, we know that belonging begins with us, and we can each do our part to help them feel they belong here. 

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Welcoming Week is just around the corner! Let us help you plan!

Now is the time to start planning your Welcoming Week event, and we can help!

Welcoming Week

Welcoming Week is September 10th-19th and we’re ready to help you plan how you want to celebrate your community as a welcoming place!

Each year, Welcoming Week is a chance for neighbors from all backgrounds to come together, get to know one another, and celebrate what unites us as a community.

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…With Liberty and Justice for All

…With Liberty and Justice for All

Fireworks over Oak Lake in Lincoln at the Uncle Sam Jam.

This is a guest blog post by Zeke Rouse, Appleseed’s Immigrants and Communities Welcoming Intern.

Across America, thousands of communities celebrate today in big and small ways, with local and larger events, holiday fare, parades, music, and readings of the Declaration of Independence. Some of us may not get past the hot dogs and watermelon, but it is time to reflect, even for just a few minutes, about what it means to live in a country built on the principles of democracy, where the voice of the people matters. “We the people” were, for many years, defined as white, land-owning men, but this has changed over time, as laws have codified standards to make our society fairer and more just. That doesn’t make us perfect. In fact, the founding fathers aimed to create not a perfect union, but a more perfect union. It was the dream of that more perfect union that inspired leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to fight for rights to be extended to all Americans, beyond those whom our founding fathers narrowly included.

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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.

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Summer 2021 series: Creating Communities of Belonging

Please note: We are currently in the 4th session of the Creating Communities of Belonging series. Join us by registering at the link below!

Join community leaders from across Nebraska who are building inclusive and vibrant communities

This virtual series will provide collaborative sessions, presentations, and networking with Nebraskans who are committed to creating communities where everyone, including immigrant neighbors, feels valued. 

In lieu of an in-person statewide welcoming convening this year, join us for this monthly series of virtual sessions. The series will continue through the summer on the second Friday of each month. All sessions will be virtual and are free.

We are excited to introduce the speakers for the event series!

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You’re invited! Creating Communities of Belonging and Welcoming Interactive

I hope you can join us virtually for the Welcoming Interactive conference May 5th & 6th, and also for our Nebraska Is Home: Creating Communities of Belonging series beginning in June! See more information below.

It’s not too late to register for the Welcoming Interactive 2021!

Join us and other Nebraskans for the conference & virtual coffee breaks!

Welcoming Interactive

The Welcoming Interactive is virtual this year and open to all those who are seeking inspiration and practical strategies for creating a more welcoming, inclusive society. Join the growing movement of practitioners in local communities across the country, share best practices and connect with a network of peers.  Continue reading “You’re invited! Creating Communities of Belonging and Welcoming Interactive”

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We cannot heal until Black community members are safe

As the trial of Derek Chauvin has captured the attention of many people across the country and around the world, we are feeling a deep sense of grief. One single trial or one verdict cannot erase the rightful grief, fear, and anger experienced by Black men, women, and children across the country, as our communities are ripped apart. The fact that police killings disproportionately impact Black community members is a clear indication of a deep-rooted systemic problem. 

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