Community contributions and collaborative work to be shared on 15+ sites across five tours to delegates at Welcoming Interactive on April 26
Mosaic to also workshop its cultural equity and inclusion tool Mosaic Atlas
APR 18, SAN JOSE: Innovative non-profit Mosaic America announced the culmination of months of partnership with City of San Jose’s Office of Racial Equity and pioneering non-profit Welcoming America, with five tours at the Welcoming Interactive conference, April 26-28 in San Jose.
Welcoming Interactive is an annual conference organized by Welcoming America that attracts 500 worldwide delegates and highlights successful practices and inspiring stories about immigrant inclusion, programs, policies, and partnerships.
The first day of the conference is reserved for attendees to learn about local innovations from peer communities and come away with new ideas and energy to foster welcoming places for all. This was on-mission for Mosaic America, since their work already has them building long-term relationships with community organizations and culture-bearers. Currently, they work with approximately 35 cultures that have made their home in San Jose.
“We are thrilled to partner with Mosaic America to provide community leaders from around the globe the opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich history and vibrant neighborhoods of San José,” said Rachel Perić, executive director of Welcoming America. “Welcoming Interactive conference attendees will benefit from Mosaic America’s curated experiences to see first-hand how racially and culturally diverse residents have shaped the city’s past and present, and leave inspired by the opportunity to build communities where everyone can belong and thrive.”
“The community tours are a chance for us to show the world our vibrant San José cultures! From the farms at Emma Prusch to the innovative tech centers of Adobe Systems, we hope that participants walk away with a greater sense of how our communities work together while honoring their own traditions.”” said Zulma Maciel, Director at City of San Jose’s Office of Racial Equity. “We are grateful that Mosaic America has brought their experience to bear in curating these tours.”
100+ delegates at the conference will participate in the tours, which will represent the histories, contributions, and ongoing work of several cultural communities in San Jose, such as African and Black, Chinese, Japanese, Latina, LGBTQ+, Persian, and Vietnamese. Also included are historical sites such as East San Jose, History Park and Japantown, as well as arts and corporate organizations.
“San Jose is the 10th largest city by population in the US and among the most diverse. This is a complex but innovative climate, continuously being (in)formed by the historical and ongoing mingling of many different cultures. The City government has to be constantly creating pathways for immigrants to lean into its machinery. The social fabric is people-driven through small organizations that support the needs in a neighborhood, or of specific communities. The tours have been curated with the purpose of sharing both these perspectives,” said Priya Das, co-founder and Chief Programming Officer of Mosaic America.
On the third day of the conference, Mosaic America will host a workshop to demonstrate its cultural equity and inclusion tool, built in partnership with SJSU, called Mosaic Atlas. Yet to be publicly available, Mosaic Atlas is a suite of innovative cultural equity and inclusion tools, including a comprehensive database of assets rooted in over 100 culturally distinct communities of the San Francisco Bay Area, an interactive explorer map, and a library of digital narrative StoryMaps. Together they offer actionable insights into cultural communities that can be used to develop equitable programs and policies.
“Cultural equity becomes critical in a place as diverse as Silicon Valley, since it is also a highly segregated place. Assimilation which is purported to be the road to being American is not an option in a majority-minority region, so cultural communities live in isolation. Mosaic Atlas provides the information and stories that connect people to place, to each other, and to history- not at any given time, but at all times,” says Usha Srinivasan, co-founder and President of Mosaic America.
Through the Mosaic Atlas workshop, attendees will gain an understanding of –
- Mosaic Atlas and other technologies that provide insight to diverse community assets
- How the Mosaic Atlas facilitates equity-centered decision making process in varied contexts
- Principles and best practices for surveying culturally distinct communities
For more information about the conference, visit welcominginteractive.org
For more information about Mosaic America, visit www.mosaicamerica.org
For more information about Mosaic Atlas, visit www.mosaicatlas.org
About Welcoming America: Welcoming America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs. We believe that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of our communities and shared future. Through the Welcoming Network, we work to help communities develop the roadmap they need to create welcoming policies and share new approaches to inclusion to create an environment where everyone can truly thrive. Learn more at welcomingamerica.org.
About City of San Jose: With more than one million residents, San José comprises the 10th largest city in the United States and one of its most diverse cities. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center in the heart of Silicon Valley has resulted in the world’s greatest concentration of technology talent and development.
About Mosaic America: Mosaic is a nonprofit organization that strengthens communities, cultivates belonging, and catalyzes inclusion through inter-cultural and co-created art. Our team of artists uses inspiration from their cultures and art forms to collaborate on unique performances and expressions that highlight the common threads of our shared American story.
Media contact Priya Das, 408-836-1951
For Welcoming America: Lola Pak, 470-236-0129