YMCA OF METROPOLITAN MILWAUKEE

Welcoming Week

We believe our communities are stronger when everyone feels welcome and we work together for the common good. Created by YMCA of the USA’s national partner Welcoming America, Welcoming Week celebrates the growing movement of communities that fully embrace newcomer immigrants and their contributions to the social fabric of our country.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee joins Welcoming America in Celebrating New Americans during Welcoming Week September 12-20.  We have partnered with other local organizations to celebrate immigrants’ contributions to communities by putting together the following events in the spirit of unity:

 

 

 

The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Coalition of Wisconsin, in partnership with the YMCA, will host a four part discussion series via Zoom, focused on the Asian American experience, from immigration to activism from Sept.17-Dec. 20.

 

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin employees will be “Creating Home Together” by celebrating their cultural identity and traditions through an interactive mapping activity set to take place Sept. 14-18 at the James O. Wright Center for Work & Training. Employees will use push pins flags to self-identify where they were born and where their parents were born providing a visual celebration of diversity. Also international foods from various continents will be provided.

 

 

 

 

Neighborhood House of Milwaukee’s International Learning Program will host a beautification project, Sept. 14-24, from 1-3 p.m. Adult refugee students and receiving community partners will work together to put the final touches on new plantings and landscaping, “creating home together” by making the physical space we share more welcoming and safe.

 

The YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee invites our members to demonstrate how they are “Forever Welcoming” or “Creating Home” together. Members are encouraged to upload images and responses to the questions posted the week of Sept. 14-18, staff will randomly draw a few responses that will be shared via the YMCA member newsletter and on our social media.  You could win some YMCA swag if your response is chosen! Please complete this form to be entered into the raffle for a chance to win!

I’m a Welcomer – Use this template to as an inspiration to share how you and your family are celebrating Welcoming Week.
Welcoming Bingo – Show us how you are expanding your perspective by making your community a more welcoming place by completing each activity and sharing them with us.
Welcoming Week Map Activity – Please use this map to mark your country of origin and share it on social media using #ForeverWelcomingMKE hashtag.

 

 

Recommended Lists for Films, Movies, Shows, Podcasts, Books for Welcoming Week and beyond:

Films/Movies

TV Shows

    • Gentefied (Netflix)
    • Localish: More In Common (ABC)
    • HBO’s Asian Pacific American Visionaries winners will premiere their work on Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET as part of the virtual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The three short films will be available to stream on HBO’s website.

Music

Podcasts

    • GigRoots
    • Resettled
    • Adulting with Joyce Pring
    • Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast (The Nonsens Podcast)
    • Not Your Average Mai Podcast
    • Asians Unfiltered with Bijal Mehta
    • Kam Korea Podcast: #5 – White parents and Asian Stereotypes
    • Unapologetically Asian with Tiana Nguyen & Thuy Nguyen
    • All Brown Everything by Grant Magazine

Literature

    • Asian Girl in a Southern World by Dalena Benavente
    • I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
    • The Woman  Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
    • The Leavers by Lisa Ko
    • America is not the Heart by Elaine Castillo
    • I am Filipino by Nicole Ponseca
    • The New Filipino Kitchen – collection
    • Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling by Jane Hyun
    • The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority (Politics and Society in Modern America) by Ellen D. Wu
    • Stuck: Why Asian Americans Don’t Reach the Top of the Corporate Ladder by Margaret M. Chin
    • Books on the Model Minority Myth on Amazon                                    

Artists

 Recipes

Local Restaurants

Milwaukee

  • Sweet Basil MKE
  • Thum
  • Mekong Cafe
  • Sticky Rice
  • Momo Mee

Green Bay and Fox Valley

  • Big Pot & Grill
  • Bowl 91
  • Little Siam
  • My Lee’s Eggroll House
  • Yummie Eggrolls
  • Mai’s Deli
  • Plia’s Kitchen
  • GingeRootz Asian Grille
  • Taste of Thai

AAPI Networking Organizations

Taped Zoom Series

September

October

 

Resources About Asian Identity

Learn More About Local Immigrant Resources and Programs

The Y has a long history of serving immigrants and helping receiving communities to be prepared and welcoming for all.