ARLINGTON, VA – August 15, 2019  – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has signed on as a national partner of Welcoming Week, an annual celebration that highlights the ways individuals of all backgrounds—including immigrants, refugees, and long-term residents—can come together to build communities that are stronger economically, socially, and culturally. Organized by Welcoming America, Welcoming Week takes place September 13-22, 2019.

As a national partner, the Alliance will promote Welcoming Week in the museum field and encourage museums to participate by hosting events that encourage connectivity and dialogue.

“Museums are community anchors,” said Laura Lott, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums. “They can contribute powerfully to creating a more enlightened and empathetic society by celebrating tolerance and freedom, teaching respect for cultural differences, facilitating a sense of individual and collective identity, and nurturing an understanding of our connections to the world and to each other. Museums are ideal partners and hosts for Welcoming Week events aimed at uniting their communities.”

“The Welcoming Week events are part of a powerful and growing movement in our country and around the world demonstrating that communities want to be welcoming,” said Rachel Peric, executive director of Welcoming America. “At a time of rising anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies that hurt families, these events are a reminder of the resilient and inclusive spirit of American communities.”

About the American Alliance of Museums

The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

About Welcoming Week

Welcoming Week is an annual celebration bringing together thousands of people and hundreds of local events that builds unity between the contributions of immigrants and refugees and the role long term residents play to foster greater welcome. Welcoming Week takes place Sept. 13-22 across the country and is expanding to other parts of the world.

Welcoming America is leading a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by making everyone who lives there know they belong. Welcoming America believes that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of both our communities and our shared future.

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