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… Read more →
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… Read more →
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,… Read more →
We know that understanding our country’s racial history is a vital step toward ensuring our state is committed to building strong, inclusive communities for all Nebraskans. Which is why we sent a letter in opposition to resolution Addendum VII-1 to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. For years, we have worked closely with community partners and educators across the… Read more →
Now is the time to start planning your Welcoming Week event, and we can help! 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… Read more →
Celebrate and recognize the history of Juneteenth The impact of recognizing Juneteenth as the federal holiday with the passing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act cannot be understated. Yet many people don’t know the meaning and significance of Juneteenth. While it took two and a half years for word of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas, it has taken… Read more →
Please note: We are currently in the 3rd 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,… Read more →
Inclusion. Belonging. Equity. Welcoming Interactive 2021 is going virtual! That means we’re inviting you to join us to take a deep dive into immigrant inclusion best practices, hear from peers across the country, and be inspired by keynote speakers john a. powell (lowercase intentional) and Dr. Gail Christopher on belonging and equity. The Welcoming Interactive is open to all those… Read more →
In March we celebrate women in two ways. Today, March 8th is International Women’s Day and in the United States we recognize Women’s History Month throughout the month. This year’s International Women’s Day theme “Choose to Challenge” invites women to call out gender bias and inequality. From challenge comes change. We can choose to challenge and together we can… Read more →
Building welcoming communities happens primarily on the local level, but it takes a commitment from leadership at all levels to truly create an inclusive nation that sees immigrants and refugees as a valuable part of its social and cultural fabric. That’s why we are pleased that the Biden Administration renewed the Task Force for New Americans, an important step toward… Read more →
We Cannot Tolerate Hate, Nativism, and American Exceptionalism We witnessed an attack on our Capitol and on our democratic process last week. This act was intended to disrupt our democratic process. This act also revealed very publicly the deep and historically long chasm of racism in our country. It was a broad coalition of extremists who congregated at our nation’s… Read more →
For those who call Nebraska ‘home,’ we are on the native land of the Pawnee, Omaha, Cheyenne, Oglala, and many others. Native American Heritage Month is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the continuing contributions of Native Americans in our communities and throughout the state of Nebraska. It is an opportunity to read the works of Native authors and poets.… Read more →
Nebraska Is Home is excited to introduce a virtual learning and engagement opportunity that will help you progress toward your equity and inclusion goals! We invite you to join us for a training and conversation using powerful tools that you can continue to use in your work. Come together with other Law Enforcement, Local Government Officials, Educators, and Community Leaders… Read more →
Nebraska is Home is celebrated in Bridging Divides, Creating Community: Arts, Culture, and Immigration, a new publication highlighting the power that creative placemaking holds in creating an America where everyone can belong and thrive. The report explores how arts and artists, writers, musicians, and performers have long been and may increasingly be partners in helping to achieve community development goals.… Read more →
Cheers to a successful Welcoming Week! Welcoming Week 2020 helped us find new ways to bring people together across lines of difference to develop greater understanding and mutual support. This year, like no other, with COVID-19 and a divisive political climate, creative Welcomers across the state held Naturalization clinics, voter registration drives and even a drive-through tasting party of local… Read more →
This blog is written by Nebraska Appleseed summer intern Vivian P. Alvarado. Haeler Paw, or as she prefers to be called Hae Paw, is originally from a refugee camp in Thailand. She immigrated to the United States in June, 2012. Because Haw Paw already had some siblings living in Nebraska she decided to relocate close to her family. Hae Paw… Read more →
This blog is written by Nebraska Appleseed summer intern Vivian P. Alvarado. Patricia Vazquez Leyva and her husband Antonio de la Rosa own Durango Style, a food stand in Lincoln’s Haymarket. They immigrated to the United States at different times and their stories and experiences are different. Yet, they both immigrated to the United States to give their son the… Read more →
We must be actively non-racist. It is not enough to be concerned. It is not enough to be tolerant. It is not enough to consider yourself not racist. Again. Again we witness an unarmed Black man shot by police and the effects have rippled through the country. This past Sunday, when Kenosha, Wisconsin police shot Jacob Blake multiple times in… Read more →
This is a momentous time in our country’s history and a powerful time for us to take a stand with our neighbors. As a community or as a society, we cannot be whole when Black Americans are repeatedly targeted because of the color of their skin. By now we’ve all seen the inexcusable actions of law enforcement that ended George… Read more →
Immigrants bring vibrancy and resiliency to our communities Once again, hatred and violence devastate communities across our country As we mourn the devastating attacks that occurred this weekend in El Paso,TX and Dayton, OH, we stand with these vibrant and resilient communities. Inhumane and violent actions toward our neighbors do not reflect our core values as a country. Below is… Read more →
Lincoln did indeed unite this past weekend in a new festival celebrating the city’s vibrant mix of cultures with activities for all ages. If you missed the day’s African drumming, henna tattoos, delicious food, and moving citizenship ceremony, read on for a vicarious experience and mark your calendar to watch for the 2nd annual event next spring! The day began… Read more →
March 8th, International Women’s Day, has long been celebrated by the global community as a day to honor women for their social, economic, cultural and political achievements. On this day, women, communities, and countries the world over enjoy the day with events that range from festivals to tea parties. Three years ago, a group of refugee women in Omaha came… Read more →
Welcoming Week 2015 was the biggest ever, marking a significant moment for the Welcoming movement from September 12-20. People across the United States joined in by participating in Welcoming Week, a national movement that aims to celebrate and honor the contributions that immigrants make to our local communities every day. This fourth annual event that included more than 245 events… Read more →
This weekend in Omaha, you have another chance to see a pair of powerful, colorful exhibits of memories-and-dreams quilts from Nebraska immigrant and refugee youth (The Quilted Conscience), as well as a rare opportunity to see Fabric of Survival, a stunning series of quilts telling the story of a Holocaust survivor from her village in Poland through Nazi occupation and… Read more →
A growing number of communities here in Nebraska and across the nation are recognizing that our cities and towns thrive when diverse people from around the world feel valued and want to put down roots. Tuesday in Nashville, President Obama recognized Welcoming America founder and Executive Director David Lubell and the community of Nashville as one such community at a town… Read more →
