Join us at the 2024 Welcoming Interactive in Dallas, Texas!

As we all navigate the path towards fostering inclusivity and belonging for all in our communities, here’s an exciting opportunity on the horizon – the Welcoming Interactive happening from April 10-12, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.

The Welcoming Interactive provides a unique platform to learn from successful practices and inspiring examples of immigrant inclusion. 

In Dallas, we will have the chance to connect together with other Nebraskans – including government officials, nonprofit leaders, educators, and more –  from across the country to learn together, share successes and challenges, and gain valuable insights into positive practices for building more welcoming and inclusive communities. Interactive sessions focus on immigrant inclusion, programs, policies, and partnerships on economic development, civic engagement, government leadership, and more!

To sweeten the deal, there is an early bird registration rate of $350 available until January 26. I believe that your participation in the Welcoming Interactive will contribute significantly to our collective ongoing efforts to foster a more welcoming community.

More than 30 Nebraska leaders attended the 2023 Welcoming Interactive in San Jose, California.

For more information about the Welcoming Interactive and registration details, please visit the website.

If you are planning to attend, please let Christa know, so we can connect in Dallas!

Looking forward to your participation and the positive impact it will bring to the community!

Embracing Diversity: Lincoln Community Unites at School Board Meeting for Inclusive Education

As we all are actively creating opportunities for immigrant community members to engage with local governments, we wanted to share this recent example with you.

In a powerful display of unity and advocacy, a diverse group of community members – hailing from various backgrounds including immigrants, refugees, and indigenous people – came together at a recent Lincoln school board meeting to champion the cause of inclusive education. 

The meeting served as a platform for these passionate individuals to share their stories, voice concerns, and urge the school board to adopt policies that celebrate diversity and foster a more inclusive learning environment, where every student and their families can belong.

Kicking off the public comment portion of the Lincoln Board of Education meeting on November 28, 2023, Lisa Guill, Lincoln’s Welcoming Communities Coordinator, presented recommendations from the Lincoln / Lancaster County Welcoming & Belonging Strategic Plan. The room buzzed with a palpable energy as individuals from different walks of life united in their commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable school system. Suggestions ranged from incorporating diverse perspectives into the curriculum to providing training for educators on culturally responsive teaching methods.

Nyabuoy Chan, who works with the Asian Community and Cultural Center as the Family Resource Program Coordinator, spoke as someone who came to the community as a refugee, a parent of 5 children who attend LPS, and as a community advocate, urging, “I would love to see all of our lovely teachers to be educated about cultural competency.” Chan shared examples of unfortunate incidents that occurred within LPS that she says could be prevented if faculty receive training on cultural competency.

The school board listened attentively as community leaders presented evidence-based proposals for implementing inclusive practices. Community leaders made a compelling case for the school board to lead the way in creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for all students.

Steve Laravie Jr., who is the Executive Director of the Lincoln Indian Center, raised a concern that the community has about “the aspects of American Indian history and culture being interwoven into the curriculum.” The request from the community that he relayed is to ensure that there is an indigenous voice in the development of the curriculum, “as we do not want to lose another five years of misinformation concerning our history.” Leravie expressed that he felt an obligation to be present at the meeting as a representative of the original peoples of this land.

Haroon Al Hayder, speaking as an immigrant and community advocate, acknowledged the transformative power of education in fostering a profound sense of belonging in Lincoln. His testimony focused on what he defined as one key pillar in achieving the vision for a more accessible, inclusive, and equitable education system: diversity in school faculty and administrators. He presented a well-researched fact that diverse educators offer a wealth of experiences and perspectives to the classroom, which “strengthens cultural understanding among students and creates an environment where everyone’s story is acknowledged and respected.” Additionally, diverse staff can serve as role models for the youth, as well as “break down stereotypes, open doors, and encourage students of New Americans to pursue their dreams regardless of their backgrounds.”

Community members emphasized the importance of continuous professional development for teachers and staff, incorporating training on implicit bias, institutional racism, and cultural competency – coupled with policy changes to attract and retain diverse administrators and educators – all while utilizing targeted data to address educational disparities.

As the meeting concluded, there was a shared sense of optimism and determination among attendees. The call for inclusivity had been sounded, and community members left the school board meeting with a renewed sense of purpose, knowing that they had planted the seeds for a more inclusive and equitable future in education. The community members that I spoke to reflected that this is just the beginning for them, and they are eager to continue advocating for inclusion locally. You can watch the video of the meeting here (public comment begins at the 23:00 minute mark).

Local school boards are a great place for community members to become involved in local decision making, and it’s vital for local school board members to hear from many voices in the community. School boards approve curriculum, which guides what students learn and talk about in the classroom, and they develop a budget for teacher pay as well as building or playground spaces that may be used for the whole community.

We encourage you to think about getting involved in your local school board or other decision making space – if you’d like ideas of where to start, please reach out!

Celebrating We Are Still Here: Reflections from a Native American Author

“And the next time you sit down for your Thanksgiving feast, consider saying a word of thanks to the original people of the lands you now call home for allowing you to live, work, and raise your children on their homelands.” 

Celebrating That We Are Still Here gives a perspective to reflect on for the Thanksgiving holiday this week.

This blog was first posted by ACLU Nebraska during the pandemic. The author Kevin Abourezk is a local journalist and Deputy Managing Editor at Indian Country Today. His words about gratitude and remembrance are relevant today. 

November is Native American Heritage Month and an opportunity to honor the vast contributions of Native American writers. This link to the American Authors Museum provides podcasts and articles by Native American poets and authors.

Photos + Videos from Your Welcoming Week!

Welcoming Week is Underway: Local Events inside!


Let’s Keep Celebrating Welcoming Week!
September 8-17 and beyond!

From citizenship ceremonies to multicultural storytimes, to celebrating immigrant entrepreneurs, we’re loving all the ways Nebraskans are celebrating Welcoming Week 2023! There are still lots of local events to come! Take a look and invite a friend or family member to join you! 

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! 

Don’t forget to engage on social media! Share your photos and experiences with welcoming on social media using the hashtag #WelcomingWeek2023 Follow Nebraska Is Home and Welcoming America on Facebook or @WelcomingUSA and @NebraskaIsHome on Instagram and Twitter. 

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


Hser Hae Htoo singing the National Anthem during the Citizenship Ceremony at Lincoln Unites.


Celebrating Hispanic Entrepreneurs event in Scottsbluff. Photos from Empowering Families.


Multicultural Storytime hosted at the Grand Island Public Library. Photos from the Grand Island Area Welcoming Initiative.

Thank you for celebrating Welcoming Week with us!

Welcoming Week events across Nebraska: September 8-17!

Get ready for Welcoming Week 2023:
September 8-17 and Beyond! 

Welcoming Week is here! Join community members across Nebraska and the world in celebrating the values that unite us as neighbors, parents, and colleagues to make our communities more welcoming to all! 

We invite you to participate by finding an event near you to celebrate diversity, community and all the different people who call Nebraska home!

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 the virtual launch of Welcoming Week in Nebraska at the statewide convening Fostering Inclusion & Belonging via Zoom. We will focus on positive practices and tips for storytelling and how to use storytelling locally to promote belonging!

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 #WelcomingWeek2023 Follow Nebraska Is Home and Welcoming America on Facebook or @WelcomingUSA and @NebraskaIsHome on Instagram and Twitter. 

See you August 18 to Discuss Everyday Racism – Fostering Inclusion & Belonging Series

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

Building Capacity for Racial Equity & Justice
Friday August 18, 2023
10:00-11:30 am CT (9:00-10:30 am MT) on Zoom

In this virtual session of the Fostering Inclusion and Belonging series we’ll share tools, strategies and an exercise to support our journey for racial equity and justice. It is helpful when working together to observe, untangle, and understand different components of racism…so that we can get to the proactive work of creating strategies and solutions together.

We’ll tackle the challenges of recognizing racism in everyday situations and identify systems that perpetuate racism – maybe even unknowingly – with an interactive exercise. 

(If you registered for a previous session this year, there is no need to register again.)

Also remember to mark your calendar for the final session in this series and kick off Welcoming Week with us! 

  • September 8, 10:00-11:30 am CT (9:00-10:30 am MT) – Welcoming Week Kick Off!  Focus on positive practices and tips for storytelling and how to use storytelling locally to promote belonging! We’ll celebrate together how our stories are core to our communities on this first day of Welcoming Week. This year’s Welcoming Week is September 8-17… and beyond!

Welcoming Week 2023

Welcoming Week
September 8-17, 2023

Every year, communities across Nebraska host September Welcoming Week events as one way of building communities of belonging. Welcoming Week uplifts and celebrates the values that unite us as neighbors, parents, and colleagues, to make our communities more welcoming to all those who call Nebraska home. 

We invite you to participate by finding an event near you or by hosting an activity in your community, your workplace or your neighborhood. 

Want to participate in Welcoming Week but not sure where to start? Welcoming America has put together lots of tools to help you get started. Welcoming Week activities can be as big as a whole community festival, as simple as a proclamation from your mayor or join a local volunteer effort. Find more ideas in this blog post.

Welcoming Week webinar
If you missed the webinar, you can find it here. Share the link with partners and collaborators. The webinar is also in French, German, Italian and Spanish. 

Tool Kit with ideas, tools, resources, and guidance to create your own Welcoming Week activities. The tool kit has templates for proclamations, media releases, planning guides and graphics to help you have a successful Welcoming Week. 

Register your event! 

Welcoming Week is an opportunity to share your Welcoming events with your community and be counted among those across the globe! You can also share your activities and events with us. We want to help promote your events. 

Khenda and Christa want you to have a great Welcoming Week so please reach out to us with any questions. We’d love to help think through an idea you have or share what we have learned from past events. Welcoming Week aims to showcase the successful multi-racial democracy we can be if everyone truly belongs in the places they call home, including immigrants and refugees and we want to support you in your community. 

See you July 14 to discuss Disability Justice – Fostering Inclusion & Belonging Series

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

Let’s Talk Ableism, Disability Justice, and Belonging
July 14th from 10:00-11:30 am CT (9:00-10:30 am MT) on Zoom

We hope to see you at the second session of our (virtual) annual statewide welcoming convening series, where we’ll discuss disability justice and belonging! Together, we’ll talk through challenges to disability justice and identify immediate actions we can take in local communities to improve accessibility.

For Session 2, guiding our discussion and learning will be Dr. Lauren Obermark from the University of Missouri-St. Louis who will share approaches on moving from assumptions to access, and Carlos Serván, Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, who has a deep, personal understanding of the challenges facing children and adults with disabilities, especially those from minority backgrounds. You can read more about each of them below!


(If you registered for the first event, there is no need to register again.)

Please let us know what you need to be able to participate!
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Christa (402-438-8853 x114, cyoakum@neappleseed.org) or Khenda (402-438-8853 x122, kmustafa@neappleseed.org). We’ll try our best to accommodate requests.

Dr. Lauren Obermark is an associate professor in the English department at the University  of Missouri-St. Louis, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses that explore disability and access as part of broader work for social justice. She is also a researcher and author who publishes articles and essays that approach disability as a complex identity and culture. In all work, whether it be teaching, research, or community engagement, she advocates for transformative access, especially in education, where disability is often minimized and ableism is built into many structures, policies, and approaches. 

Dr. Obermark always looks for opportunities to connect with others to imagine more radically accessible futures, as disability is too often an avoided topic which results in misunderstanding and furthers inequities.

Carlos R. Serván, born in Lima, Peru was blinded and lost his right hand in an explosion while training with the Peruvian police when he was 20 years old. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1989 to receive training on blindness techniques and soon after found his passion in serving people with disabilities. He had to learn English and then earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and later a dual graduate degree obtaining a M.P.A. and a J.D. His disability, together with his immigrant and minority experiences, have given Mr. Serván a deep, personal understanding of the challenges facing children and adults with disabilities, especially those from minority backgrounds. He knows what it is to be disadvantaged; to face discrimination, and he knows what it takes to succeed.  

Carlos Serván is also the author of two books. Began to Run Again and Running Dreams: A Story of Strength and Determination.  

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

  • August 18, 10:00-11:30 am CT (9:00-10:30 am MT) – Session 3: Building Capacity for Racial Equity & Justice
  • September 8, 10:00-11:30 am CT (9:00-10:30 am MT) – Session 4: Welcoming Week Kick Off!

It’s finally here! Nebraska is Home: Fostering Inclusion and Belonging.

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

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

During these summer sessions, we will have the opportunity to hear 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.


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

Session 1: Welcoming Week Tips & Ideas
Friday, June 16, 10:00-11:30 am CT (9:00-10:30 am MT)

Every year, communities across Nebraska host September Welcoming Week events as one way of building communities of belonging.

In this session, we’ll experience a variety of Welcoming Week activities and get tips and ideas from leaders who have hosted successful Welcoming Week events – large and small – in their local communities! Together we will:

Enjoy African drumming with Seth Mock, an immigrant Nebraskan from South Sudan and founder of Lincoln’s Midwestern African Museum of Art.

Get up and move our bodies with the YMCA of Greater Omaha.


Celebrate community with food as Liz Rodriguez from Centro Hispano Comunitario shares how they coordinated a cooking demonstration that brought together Columbus neighbors.

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

July 14, 10:00-11:30am CT (9:00-10:30am MT) – Session 2: Ableism and Belonging
Discuss ableism, disability justice, and belonging with Dr. Lauren Obermark from the University of Missouri-St. Louis who will share approaches on moving from assumptions to access, and with Carlos Serván, Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, who has a deep, personal understanding of the challenges facing children and adults with disabilities, especially those from minority and immigrant backgrounds.

August 18, 10:00-11:30am CT (9:00-10:30am MT) – Session 3: Building Capacity for Racial Equity & Justice
With the interactive exercise “Everyday Racism” we will identify real situations of racism and recognize how internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and structural racism are interwoven. We’ll learn together while also practicing an interactive tool we can use in our communities. 

September 8, 10:00-11:30am CT (9:00-10:30am MT) – Session 4: Welcoming Week Kick Off!
Focus on positive practices and tips for storytelling and how to use storytelling locally to promote belonging! We’ll celebrate together how our stories are core to our communities on this first day of Welcoming Week. This year’s Welcoming Week is September 8-17… and beyond!