Certified Welcoming Blog
Embracing change: How Boise leans into language access, fostering belonging for all
Boise is the first Certified Welcoming city in Idaho. In September 2023, Boise was officially redesignated as Certified Welcoming following their initial certification in 2019. We spoke with Lana Graybeal, the senior manager of community outreach at the City of Boise, about how the Office of Community Engagement team advances welcoming in the community. Over…
A city-county partnership for immigrant inclusion: Welcome Toledo-Lucas County
The first Certified Welcoming city-county duo shares how the local governments collaborate within their community. Among the 18 places that are Certified Welcoming, there is only one city-county duo: the City of Toledo and Lucas County in Ohio. The City of Toledo began working to become Certified Welcoming with Lucas County in 2018. Lucas County…
Civic engagement strengthens Lancaster’s welcoming efforts
Lancaster, Pennsylvania has a long history of welcoming that guides the local government’s work to this day. “We are a city of welcome and have been for hundreds of years,” says Milzy Carrasco, director of Neighborhood Engagement for the City of Lancaster. Lancaster became Certified Welcoming in 2018 — making the city the first to…
How Philadelphia is advancing welcoming work through transparency and collaboration
In recent years, the community of welcomers in Philadelphia mobilized to support refugees arriving in the city. More than 25,000 Afghan refugees were welcomed through the Philadelphia International Airport between August 2021 and March 2022, and over 100 Haitians arrived in the city after the political unrest and natural disasters experienced in Haiti in August…
Five approaches to welcoming that are advancing inclusion and equity in San José
In March 2022, the City of San José, California became Certified Welcoming. Over a year later, we interviewed Zulma Maciel, director of San José’s Office of Racial Equity, to learn more about unique approaches the city government uses to cultivate equity and inclusion for immigrant communities and Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Using racial…
In Dallas, being welcoming takes the city into the future
Author: Maya Smith-Custer In 2019, the City of Dallas became the first in Texas to earn the Certified Welcoming designation. As it approaches recertification this year, we spoke with Christina da Silva, Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs Officer of the City of Dallas, about the steps the city took to earn the initial designation and…
Affirmations and connections in Salt Lake County’s recertification journey
In June 2022, Salt Lake County, Utah was redesignated as Certified Welcoming. We talked with Joseph Genda, New American & Refugee Liaison in the Salt Lake County Mayor’s Office for New Americans, to learn more about what the recertification process was like and why it was important for Salt Lake County to remain Certified Welcoming….
Partnerships and welcoming infrastructure guide Louisville’s welcoming work
The Louisville Metro Government in Kentucky became Certified Welcoming in 2018 and recertified in 2022. Amos Izerimana, Director of Louisville’s Office for Immigrant Affairs, spoke with us about how recertification was an opportunity to reflect on partnerships and infrastructure that have advanced Louisville’s immigrant inclusion work. Collaborations make welcoming work possible Over the last decade,…
Welcoming accountability in Nashua
In October 2022, the City of Nashua, New Hampshire became the first Certified Welcoming city in the Granite State and among the first in the New England region. In this blog, Kathleen Palmer, Communications & Special Projects Coordinator and Cecilia Ulibarri, former Constituent Services & Cultural Affairs Coordinator for the City of Nashua, share their…
Harnessing a history of welcoming in Detroit
In April 2022, the City of Detroit, Michigan became the first place to become Certified Welcoming in the state. In this blog, we spoke with Roberto Torres, Director of Immigrant Affairs and Economic Inclusion for the City of Detroit, on the journey to achieve the Certified Welcoming designation. Background In 2015, the mayor of Detroit…