St. Louis Designated as Certified Welcoming City
St. Louis is 51st city in U.S. with designation
On Sept. 15, St. Louis City announced it has become a 2-star Certified Welcoming community by Welcoming America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs. Certified Welcoming is a formal designation by Welcoming America for cities that have created policies and programs that share their values and commitment to immigrant inclusion.
The 2-star designation and plaque were unveiled as a part of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at St. Louis City Hall. Sept.10-19 also is considered Welcoming Week throughout the country.
St. Louis is just one of 51 Certified Welcoming communities in the U.S. Each star designation reflects the depth of a community’s progress across the seven areas of the Welcoming Standard, which includes civic engagement, connected communities, economic development, and equitable access.
“St. Louis is at its best when everyone who calls this city home has the opportunity to feel welcomed, valued and connected,” said Suzanne Sierra, executive director of the St. Louis Mosaic Project in a new release from the City of St. Louis.
The St. Louis Mosaic Project, which is a regional initiative managed by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and World Trade Center St. Louis, works to make foreign-born residents feel welcome in St. Louis. This is crucial in order to expand and retain the region’s global talent pool, which is viewed as a cornerstone of the region’s economic and cultural growth. This work includes engaging business leaders to hire more international talent, attracting and supporting international students for earlier and deeper integration into the St. Louis community and connect immigrant entrepreneurs to resources to start and grow their small businesses.
To read the full announcement from the City of St. Louis, click here.