Welcoming Week 2024 Celebrates Community Through Diversity
Lincoln Welcoming Week 2024 celebrated 41 events celebrating the vibrant cultural diversity of our city! Dozens of partners across the community contributed to our largest Welcoming Week yet.
Nearly 7,000 came out to celebrate at events large and small throughout Lincoln. We captured some beautiful moments from a wide variety of Welcoming Week events.
Lincoln Welcoming Week’s cornerstone event, Lincoln Unites, included a citizenship ceremony followed by a community festival. 24 newcomers became naturalized citizens!
After a celebratory reception, newly minted citizens and their families were invited to explore the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. Our friends from League of Women Voters helped to register 8 new citizens to vote! One of the newly registered voters had a 30 year journey to US Citizenship. What an accomplishment!
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
Lincoln Unites, Citizenship Ceremony
A community festival followed, featuring a variety of cultural performances, food trucks, and activities.
Shout out to our 19 event partners for contributing expertise, hours of work, enthusiastic partnership to Welcoming Week 2024!
The International Quilt Museum hosted Storytelling: A Celebration of Culture featuring a Textile Show-and-Tell from people around the world that call Lincoln, Nebraska home. Presenters modeled and shared about the cultural significance of clothing, including stories, artisan techniques, and community values.
Storytelling event at International Quilt Museum
Storytelling event at International Quilt Museum
Storytelling event at International Quilt Museum
Storytelling event at International Quilt Museum
Storytelling event at International Quilt Museum
Storytelling event at International Quilt Museum
Storytelling event at International Quilt Museum
The annual Latino Festival hosted by El Centro de las Américas celebrated the many Latino cultures in our community. Hundreds gathered to enjoy music, dance, art, and food.
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
The Sheldon Museum of Art hosted an event featuring a voting rights exhibit in their space. UNL student leaders guided groups of students through the powerful, thought-provoking exhibit, then led conversations considering the impact of voting rights on New Americans.
Haroon Al Hayder, a Yazidi immigrant and local leader, shared his story and perspective with the students.
“Now that I am able to vote, I am incredibly excited to participate in my first presidential election, a significant milestone in my life as an immigrant and first-time voter“, said Haroon.
Voting rights event at Sheldon Museum of Art
Voting rights event at Sheldon Museum of Art
Voting rights event at Sheldon Museum of Art
Voting rights event at Sheldon Museum of Art
Voting rights event at Sheldon Museum of Art
The Asian Community & Cultural Center hosted their 10th annual Harvest Moon Festival, boasting over 2,700 attendees. Among the many performers, they celebrated the Year of the Dragon with a mesmerizing dragon dance performance!
Asian Center’s Harvest Moon Festival
Asian Center’s Harvest Moon Festival
Asian Center’s Harvest Moon Festival
Asian Center’s Harvest Moon Festival
Asian Center’s Harvest Moon Festival
Huge thanks to our Lincoln Welcoming Week 2024 sponsors for supporting this community-building effort!
“At the Lincoln Community Foundation, we believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, respect, and inclusion. By adopting Belonging as one of our organization’s core values, we strive to be proactive and intentional about creating equitable opportunities in our community. We are a proud sponsor of Welcoming Week again this year and are excited to celebrate our diverse community together!”
– Lincoln Community Foundation
We are thrilled to see this level of energy and participation from Lincoln. What a marvelous way to demonstrate welcome to all community members!
Asian Center’s Harvest Moon Festival
Asian Center’s Harvest Moon Festival
Asian Center’s Harvest Moon Festival
El Centro de las Américas’ Latino Festival
Huge thanks to the dozens of partners and supporters who made Lincoln Welcoming Week 2024 a great success!
