Welcoming Alabama Campaign Photo Shoot Feb. 3 (Birmingham)
WANTED:
VOLUNTEERS TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED FOR AD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATING DIVERSITY
Welcoming Alabama Campaign is seeking volunteers to be photographed holding signs with personalized value-based messages reflecting an honest statement or belief regarding immigration or multicultural acceptance. Messages shall not be political, inflammatory, or derogatory in nature. Photos collected from around the state will be compiled into video format and circulated through various social media outlets to spread awareness of and foster interest in making Alabama a more welcoming state, and to recruit participants for future dialogue sessions hosted by the campaign.
Do you support communities which honor and respect diversity among all individuals and families who call Alabama home, regardless of culture or background? If so, join us:
Date: Friday, February 3, 2012
TWO LOCATIONS:
- 8:30a-10:30a at Cumberland School of Law. Meet in the Grand Room.
- 2p-4p at Linn Park. Meet at entrance to park on the City Hall side.
No need to RSVP, just show up.
This is a one time event. Don’t miss us or you’ll miss out.
DIVERSITY (AGE, RACE, ETHNICITY, ETC.) IS APPRECIATED
For more information contact Shay Farley at 334.263.0086 / shay.farley@alabamaappleseed.org. Also, visit www.welcomingamerica.org.
Sample poster statements include:
- Diversity is the spice of life
- God created all, including my Guatemalan-born neighbor
- I drive a Japanese car, which was made here in Alabama
- I eat Indian food at least once a week
- My Cuban friend is teaching me to make authentic cuisine like boliche.
- My immigrant neighbors remind me of the importance of family values
- Seeing immigrants in my town reminds me how big the world really is
**BRING YOUR OWN IDEAS**
Welcoming Alabama:According to census data, Alabama saw a 145 percent increase in its Latino population between 2000 and 2010. Demographic shifts of this scale are never easy–not for the immigrants themselves, and not for the communities asked to welcome newcomers whose language and culture may be unfamiliar. Aside from the political arguments, editorials, and litigation regarding the state’s immigration law, individual sentiments and fundamental perceptions regarding cultural demographic shifts have remained unaddressed, and unresolved. Alabama Appleseed’s Welcoming Alabama Campaign, an affiliate of Welcoming America, seeks to promote respectful dialogue outside political context and emotional debates, by providing a safe space to explore perceptions and philosophies between individuals of varying ethnicities and traditions. Ultimately, Welcoming Alabama’s goal is to strengthen the social fabric of Alabama by helping strangers become neighbors through dialogue and mutual respect.
