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.
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)