Welcoming Week 2024 in Philadelphia is taking place September 13-27
PHILADELPHIA– Welcoming Week is an annual campaign celebrated around the globe that connects neighbors of all backgrounds through community-informed activities and events. In Philadelphia, the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) helps to organize and promote events and activities across the city. This year’s theme, “We’re All In,” invites communities to showcase how they’re building environments that value all perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Now in its 12th year, Welcoming Week 2024 is a call for individuals and groups to come together and celebrate their strengths and differences.
“As a United City, One Philadelphia, we are proud to be one of the many cities across the globe hosting Welcoming Week programs that provide individuals and communities the opportunity to publicly proclaim welcoming values, foster a mutual understanding between immigrants and non-immigrants, and build a deeper sense of belonging for all,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “This is a chance to celebrate the strengths and differences of our residents and recognize that we are at our best when we work collectively on building welcoming environments together, for immigrants and native-born Philadelphians.”
“Philadelphia and its leaders encourage and celebrate welcoming every single day. This year, Mayor Parker created the first ever Office of Latino Engagement and the first-ever Office of Muslim Engagement. The City will also continue to host several PHL Honors Diversity flag-raising ceremonies, celebrating our diverse immigrant communities. Additionally, several city and community partners are celebrating Welcoming Week by hosting their own events such as a career fair for immigrants and refugees, and a free legal clinic to help people apply for citizenship. Welcoming and ‘We’re all in’ is more than just a feeling. It is the daily action that all take in Philadelphia,” said Amy Eusebio, Executive Director, Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Events scheduled for Welcoming Week 2024 include:
A Taste of Edible Alphabet
Monday, September 16 | 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Culinary Center at Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia PA 19103
The Culinary Literacy Center will mark Welcoming Week through a cooking demonstration and tasting centered around one of the Culinary Literacy Center’s signature programs: Edible Alphabet English. The program will be led by Edible Alphabet staff and participants and the tasting will feature two global vegetarian recipes: Chilean Tomaticán and Turkish Zeytinyagli Pirasa. This event is at capacity but this is an ongoing program of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Immigrant and Refugee Career Fair by the City’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS)
Wednesday, September 25 | 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
801 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19107
The 2024 Immigrant and Refugee Career Fair will bring together a wide range of employers and organizations to meet with and support multilingual and multicultural communities. Register to attend here.
Be/Longing Exhibit by the Free Library of Philadelphia
Now through Tuesday, October 1 | Any time during library operating hours
1901 Vine Street (between 19th and 20th Streets on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway) Philadelphia, PA 19103
BE/LONGING is a polyphonic exhibition on the longing, belonging, and connection that library spaces in Philadelphia can inspire. Featuring work by artist Joanne Grüne-Yanoff and curation by exhibitions curator Suzanna Urminska, this community collaborative reflects on how libraries have the power to serve as places of resource, refuge, contemplation, engagement, and wonder.
To view a full list of events, visit the Welcoming Week event spotlight page here
In 2012, Welcoming America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs, launched Welcoming Week with the belief that communities are strongest when everyone who lives in them feels welcome. Back then, Welcoming Week engaged 20 communities in the United States. Today, more than 600 events take place in-person and virtually across the globe for Welcoming Week. Philadelphia has hosted Welcoming Week Programming since 2016, engaging community stakeholders and institutional partners in programming and events that make Philadelphia more welcoming for all.
