Welcoming Battle Creek - Questions & Answers

Prepared and submitted to the City Commission on March 1st, 2016 by Commissioner Kate Flores.1
What is a Welcoming City? Welcoming Cities are cities in which local governments and community leaders work
together to maximize opportunities to build mutual respect among native-born and foreign-born residents alike, as well
as foster an inclusive environment essential to growth.
Who runs this program? Welcoming America, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, is supporting communities
across the nation become more prosperous by helping everyone who lives there feel like they belong. Welcoming
America connects community, government and nonprofit leaders and builds on the great work happening in local
communities by providing tested approaches to creating inclusive, welcoming places.
When did this program begin? Welcoming America launched in 2009; Welcoming Michigan in 2012; Welcoming
Cities & Counties Network in 2013. There are 62 municipalities in the network.
What is the City's commitment under the program? Advance a proclamation or resolution declaring the locality to be
a welcoming one; find ways to institutionalize welcoming efforts & do local, community-focused work as determined
by the city; join a cohort of cities and counties; appoint at least one key staff contact; participate in three conference
calls each year; participate in an annual in-person meeting (dependent on available travel resources); pay annual dues;
fill out an annual members' survey; participate in National Welcoming Week; collaborate with other members.
What will it cost to become a member? $200 in annual dues.
Does this mean we will seek to bring new immigrants to Battle Creek? No. This is not an immigrant attraction
program. The program seeks to intentionally build relationships and support the integration of refugees and immigrants
already living in Battle Creek, coming on their own behalf or through existing resettlement efforts. Refugee
resettlement and the issuance of immigration visas are operations solely within the federal domain.
How will the City's name be used? Welcoming America and Michigan would add the city's name to its list of
Welcoming Cities & Counties. Beyond this, the name of the city or its leaders would never be used without
permission. Welcoming Michigan or America may request to highlight Battle Creek success stories. Welcoming
America is committed to confidentiality of specific city information.
Will the City's name be used in any advocacy efforts? No. Welcoming America does not routinely take policy
stances, though occasionally may sign onto a letter or campaign as an organization (not representing cities), such as the
White House Task Force on New Americans' Building Welcoming Communities Campaign. Welcoming
America/Michigan may forward related letters, but there is no expectation for a city or its elected officials to sign on.
Why become a member? Aren't we already welcoming? Genuine inclusion integrates both word and deed and is a
long-term process. I believe declaring Battle Creek a Welcoming City actively demonstrates our commitment and
provides a point of contact for building relationships among immigrant and native-born residents. Becoming part of a
network of municipalities that share similar values will provide information and resources to assist the City in most
effectively making progress. It will also give the City access to technical assistance and learning opportunities to
accelerate and build on the many good efforts already happening in Battle Creek.
Why should government get involved? While immigration policy is a federal issue, immigrant integration the
degree of economic, social and civic inclusion of immigrants once they are here is a concern of local government.
Foreign-born residents pay income, property, sales and other local taxes and I believe it is the honor of city
government to represent the needs and concerns of all its residents, including immigrants and refugees.
What happens after the City signs on? The City has already taken a number of important steps to begin strengthening
relationships with immigrant and refugee communities. The Human Relations Board is positioned to support and
promote this work moving forward. Examples of areas of work I believe could be strengthened include language
access, relationships with public safety, ongoing training related to diversity and inclusion, communications, inclusion
in community engagement efforts and city tours/orientation sessions for new refugees and immigrants.

This document was prepared individually by Kate Flores. It was not prepared or approved by the City Commission as a body. It
represents Kate Flores individual opinions and interpretations, as informed by Welcoming America and Welcoming Michigan.