Friday, April 19, 2024

National Welcoming Week Highlights the Positive Impacts of Immigrants and Refugees

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This week we are celebrating National Welcoming Week, what the White House is calling as “a way to bring people together to honor the contributions of immigrants and refugees and to highlight efforts across the country to building stronger, more welcoming communities.”

Throughout the week, the White House will showcase the “courage and resilience” of immigrants and refugees while “celebrating their contributions to our nation.”
The week and it’s events were organized by Welcome America as a way of recognizing immigrants and refugees that have come to the United States.

Welcoming America is a “leading a movement of inclusive communities across the nation becoming more prosperous by making everyone who lives there feel like they belong.” This yearly celebration of Welcoming Weeks brings together immigrants and U.S.-born residents in a spirit of unity to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone – including new Americans. Events for the week will include things such as Friendship Picnics and World Peace Day Celebrations that will be hosted all around the country.

Facing the upcoming presidential election, there have been many negative remarks made against the immigrant and refugee population of our country. Welcoming Week highlights the positive light that immigrants and refugees bring to the melting pot that is America. It shows support and solidarity with the people that have chosen to make this great country their home in hopes of bettering their lives, as well as bettering this country. It is important that immigrants and refugees with the capability to vote show their support for candidates whom are willing to bring us together rather than pull us apart.

Not only are your voices extremely significant but they also hold an astounding amount of power. Making sure your friends and families, immigrant or not, make the choice to show they care what happens with the future of the United States is of grave importance. Be on the look out for voter mobilization events that Welcoming America and your community will be hosting, not only this week, but in the coming weeks, as well, along with events that will be celebrating the importance of immigrant and refugee presence in this country.

Written by Maria Taminez