WELCOMING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. Part of Chippewa Valley Multicultural Festival, shown here, served as a kick-off to the area's first Welcoming Week, which will run Sept. 13-22.

You could call it a backlash to the backlash. Last year, when it was announced that a small number of international refugees would be settling in Eau Claire, voices were raised in the community – and not all of them were welcoming. Some residents and politicians spoke out against the effort, and a billboard even went up falsely claiming the resettlement was akin to human trafficking.

Such negative responses, coupled with misinformation that spread in the community about refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants, inspired Eau Claire resident Ginny Close to push back. Close, who has volunteered on the U.S. border in Arizona as well as with Afghans who settled in the Chippewa Valley, learned about a nonprofit called Welcoming America, which for more than a decade has helped communities create “Welcoming Weeks” as a way of moving the conversation about immigration in a positive direction.

Having met and worked with immigrants from Kenya, Pakistan, Egypt, Palestine, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and beyond, Close said they all carry a willingness to overcome hardship and become part of the American fabric – something that Welcoming Week was created to highlight.

”It is also imperative that we bring back the humanity in the immigration narrative, that we all become more knowledgeable about the ‘true’ narrative, thus understanding and becoming truly welcoming of new neighbors,” Close said.

“Welcoming Week provides individuals and communities the opportunity to proclaim welcoming values through events and local initiatives that foster mutual understanding between immigrants and non-immigrants, as well as deeper belonging for all.”

While the local Welcoming Week officially runs Sept. 13-22, it  kicked off early at the Chippewa Valley Multicultural Festival on Aug. 25 in Phoenix Park. Attendees were invited to write words of welcome on quilt fabric, which will be used to create a quilt collection. The activity promoted an upcoming exhibit, “Welcome Quilts: Sewn Together in Unity,” which will be on display at First Congregational Church, 310 Broadway St., from Sept. 18-29.

A still-growing list of Welcoming Week events includes a Sept. 7 drum circle at Phoenix Park, a Sept. 8 ministry fair at Trinity Lutheran Church, and a Sept. 19 “Beer Church” get-together at The Brewing Projekt.

According to organizers, “Welcoming Week provides individuals and communities the opportunity to proclaim welcoming values through events and local initiatives that foster mutual understanding between immigrants and non-immigrants, as well as deeper belonging for all.”

The effort is supported by a number of nonprofit organizations and religious groups, including JONAH, Welcoming New Neighbors, Chippewa Valley Bridge Builders, the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, Immanuel Lutheran Church, and First Congregational United Church of Christ.

The Chippewa Valley Museum is also playing a role. Director Carrie Ronnander said the project is a “natural extension of what the museum is and does,” pointing to the museum’s mission of connecting people with their community.

“A community becomes stronger when everybody feels like they have a place in it,” Ronnander added. “Showing newcomers Eau Claire is a welcoming community is an important first step towards helping them find a home here. When new residents feel like this is their place, they are more willing to invest in the community and care for it.”

And this one week is just the beginning: Close views Welcoming Week as “a start to an ongoing effort to build awareness and an ever-growing positive welcoming community.”

To learn more about Welcoming Week and to see a calendar of events, visit jonahjustice.org/chippewa-valley-welcoming-week/.