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A mural in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood

On Friday, Sept. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m., all are encouraged to attend the annual Welcoming Week Kickoff, a free event at the community bandstand on the Decatur Square.

Hosted by the City of Decatur, Welcoming America, and the Better Together Advisory Board, friends and family alike are invited to “celebrate what it means to be a member of the Decatur community,” according to a recent press release.

Welcoming Week, which lasts from Sept. 14 through Sept. 23 this year, is a nationwide effort by Welcoming America to encourage communities to appreciate all people.

“During this annual series of events, communities bring together immigrants, refugees, and native-born residents to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone. In 2017, there were more than 700 events around the country,” the Welcoming America website says.

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While Decatur has been a Welcoming America City for a few years now, the city is one of seven metro Atlanta cities to recently become part of a a Welcoming Region, and is making strides to be more inclusive, according to Mayor Patti Garrett.

Garrett said that the Welcoming Region designation, “is something that we felt really fit with the overall feeling of who we are, who we want to be, and who we strive to be.”

“We recognized that this is not something that just the Better Together Board and the city could do, but other partners within the city, too,” Garrett said. “The Welcoming Region plan is self-described as a roadmap that will help guide us to be a more inclusive and prosperous region, so what are those things that we can agree upon and move forward with to be an example, despite differences.”

Garrett will be at the Welcoming Week kickoff. In addition, attendees can look forward to cookies and lemonade, and entertainment from Welcoming America.

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