Across the nation, organizations and communities are preparing for Welcoming Week, a campaign to celebrate the communities’ welcoming of immigrants, running Sept. 13-22.
In Gainesville, the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative (GINI) and the Rural Women’s Health Project (RWHP) have compiled a list of Welcoming Week events on its website for the third year, culminating with a GINI’s own celebration on Sept. 22.
Veronica Robleto, RWHP director said immigrants make up about 20% of the local community and are a growing population that GINI hopes to celebrate through Welcoming Week, while also pushing to make the community, local government and businesses to be more inclusive.
“By and large, immigrants are very active community members that contribute both economically and culturally, and… helping to push initiatives that make it more inclusive for immigrants is just something that is beneficial for the whole community, and just creates a richer and more interesting community,” Robleto said in a phone interview.
Many of the events for the Welcoming Week are part of the Latina Women’s League’s Gainesville Latino Film Festival, but overlapping themes appeal to overlapping audiences.
Find a full list of film screenings and other film festival events in Mainstreet’s story here.
Other events are hosted by the Greater Gainesville International Center and the University of Florida’s Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship.
Robleto said the audience for Welcoming Week is broad, not restricted to immigrants.
“It’s not just immigrants. It’s everyone who agrees and believes that making the community safer for immigrants is a benefit to the community at large, and sees the value in that,” Robleto said.
The Welcoming Week activities are listed below:
Sept. 14
Latino Art Exhibition: Special Opening Ceremony
- Time: 6-8 p.m.
- Location: Blount Hall Gallery at Santa Fe College, 530 W University Ave.
This art exhibition honors the culture and talent of Latino and Hispanic artists.
This event is funded in part by Visit Gainesville Alachua County.
Sept. 18
CES Business Talk: Ruth Halahmy, Disney
Wednesday, September 18th
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: virtual. Join event here.
Join the Center for European Studies and the Center for Latin American Studies for a talk with Ruth Halahmy, Talent Acquisition Marketing Senior Account Manager at Disney.
Halahmy will discuss talent marketing for an international corporation such as Disney and provide a comparative perspective of talent marketing in European and Latin American regions.
Community ID Drive
- Time: 6-8 p.m.
- Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1521 NW 34th St.
A community ID is a form of identification issued by the Human Rights Coalition of Alachua County, not the government, providing cardholders with a form of identification that can be used by law enforcement, city departments, health centers, schools and other organizations.
To make an appointment and for more information go to: hrcalachua.com or call 352-575-8024.
Sept. 19
Florida-Brazil Relations Talk with Representative from the Brazilian Consule
- Time: 2-3 p.m.
Details Forthcoming: https://www.latam.ufl.edu/calendar/events/2024/florida-brazil-relations-talk.php
Meet the Author Club de Lectura with Maria Ospina
- Time: 5:30-7 p.m.
- Location: Grinter Hall, Room 376, 1523 Union Rd.
María Ospina (Colombia), Azares del cuerpo is the book that catapulted Ospina to the international stage. Each short story is meticulously crafted to make the reader re-think the whole world. Ideal for those interested in environmentalism, politics, and gender.
Sept. 20
September COLOQUIO
- Time: 4-5:30 p.m.
- Speaker: Eduardo Abaroa, Kislak Family Foundation Artist in Residence
- Talk title: The Total Destruction of the Anthropology Museum and Other Art Projects
- Location: Grinter Hall, Room 376, 1523 Union Rd.
Sept. 21
NO: Chilean Campaign to Recover Democracy
- Time: 5-7 p.m.
- Location: UF Smathers Library, 1508 Union Rd.
- Guest Speaker: Dr. Cristian Pérez Muñoz, Dept. of Political Science, University of Florida
Concert: Tres Souls
- Time: 7 p.m., 9 p.m.
- Upstage at the Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd.
Tickets on sale here.
Reserved seating prices: $55 for the 7 p.m. show, $35 for the 9 p.m. show, or $12 for UF students.
Tres Souls is a modern embodiment of the vintage sounds of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema and will transport you to a more romantic time.
UpStage is an intimate, cabaret-style setting on the Phillips Center Mainstage. The 7 p.m. seating includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and cash bar; the 9 p.m. seating includes desserts and cash bar.
Sept. 22
Building Belonging: A celebration of Gainesville’s immigrant communities
- Time: Noon- 4 p.m.
- Location: Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave.
Join GINI for a celebration including traditional and modern performances from some of the many cultures in the Gainesville community, foods from around the world, arts and crafts created by immigrant neighbors, free health screenings and flu shots, and more.
Participants can expect interpretation in their language. If you have any questions about the event, please reach out to GINI@rwhp.org.
Sept. 24:
Abraham Cruz Villegas: Some projects
- Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
- Location: Grinter Hall, Room 404, 1523 Union Rd.
The artist will discuss the methodologies, the context and the references from some recent projects in which art and nature collide.
Sept. 26:
“The Shadow of the Sun”: Teens and Young Adults Night
- Time: 6-8 p.m.
- Location: Center for Independent Living (CIL), 222 SW 36th Ter.
- Venezuelan filmmaker/speaker: Miguel Ferrer
Sept. 27
Taste of the World: International Food Festival
- Time: 6-8 p.m.
- Location: Matheson History Museum, 513 E University Ave.
The CHISPAS-UF Student Organization, ICEC-India Fest and the UF International Center is partnering with Latina Women’s League to celebrate diversity.
Sept. 29
Documentary: Memories of my Father
- Time: 5-7 p.m.
- Location: UF Smathers Library, 1508 Union Rd.
- Guest Speaker: Dr. Julian Restrepo Sanin
Oct. 3
Meet the Author Club de Lectura: Giovanna Rivero
- Time: 5:30-7 p.m.
- Location: Grinter Hall, Room 376, 1523 Union Rd.
Giovanna Rivero (Bolivia), Tierra fresca de su tumba, a UF alum and internationally recognized writer of the new boom called the “Andean Gothic.” Great for fantasy and horror literature lovers.