Cities Are Already Models of Home for Newcomers
Cities like Boise, Idaho and Columbus, Ohio are among a growing movement of welcoming communities that are getting integration right.
By Welcoming America Executive Director and Founder David Lubell
As world leaders gathered this week at the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants to try to create a blueprint for a better international response, the integration of newcomers into societies took center stage.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has said that one of the important “deliverables” in New York will be to promote “the notion of acceptance and inclusion.”
But how exactly do we do that when so many people see immigrants and refugees as a burden or worse? The answer: Look to cities to lead the way.
In the United States, cities like Boise, Idaho and Columbus, Ohio are among a growing movement of welcoming communities that are not only getting integration right, but are turning the “migrant as burden” narrative on its head by reaping the economic benefits.
By choosing to create relationships between new and old residents and convey that belonging is not based on where you’re from, they are moving past “us vs. them” to create a new sense of “we.” They also are building fully inclusive community institutions, reducing the structural barriers that newcomers and long-time residents face in achieving their full potential.
As a result, in cities like Columbus, refugees not only become neighbors but they also make significant economic contributions — contributions that, according to a recent study on refugee contributions to Columbus, total about $1.6 billion.
Zoom out to a global map, and one will find hundreds of cities worldwide that are choosing the inclusion of immigrants and refugees over exclusion, wading through the discomfort of the unfamiliar to emerge more cohesive and prosperous.
This week also marks Welcoming Week, a time to lift up efforts of communities that have been working year-round to create more inclusive environments for all. Last week, the White House brought together a star-studded cast, including former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, to celebrate Welcoming Week and honor refugees from welcoming communities across the US whose lives and contributions embody America’s spirit.
At a time when international institutions are looking for bright spots to light the way out of a global crisis, welcoming communities offer a shining example of what is possible.
Welcoming Week is an annual celebration hosted by Welcoming America that brings together thousands of people at hundreds of events to celebrate the contributions of immigrants and refugees and the role communities play to foster greater welcome.
Welcoming Week is Sept. 16–25 across the country and now expanding to other parts of the world. There are more than 300 Welcoming Week events including international festivals, community dialogues, shared meals, Twitter chats, film screenings, and more.
Former refugee Bounthanh Phommasathit and her family have been serving their community for years, growing the Columbus-based family businesses in home healthcare and job placement that together employee nearly 250 people and contribute more than $3 million annually to the city’s economy.
Mexican immigrant Javier Arizmendi and his family found opportunity and belonging in the small town of Schuyler, Nebraska, where he has helped bring new vitality to town by reviving an aging hotel, the Schuyler Inn, into a successful business, contributing to the local economy and providing employment opportunities. Nebraska’s foreign-born population has grown by nearly 60 percent between 2000–2013, and Latino purchasing power there was more than $3.3 billion in 2010.
Welcoming America helps organizations and communities across the United States foster greater understanding and support for immigrants and refugees. One way we do so is by lifting up promising practices in refugee resettlement, such as the Mommy & Me program in Clarkston, Georgia, which has been called “The most diverse square mile in America” by Time magazine. An English school there gives refugee mothers and their young children an opportunity to build community and a sense of belonging and helps reduce barriers for inclusion among this often overlooked group. Learn more about the program.
Learn how your community can join Welcoming America!
David Lubell is executive director of Welcoming America, an NGO based in Decatur, Georgia. Welcoming America hosts Welcoming Week. To find out about events in your community or to learn more, visit www.welcomingamerica.org.
