How can our community respond to racism and other forms of discrimination? We can start by listening and learning. We can recognize that prejudice in all its forms doesn’t happen only elsewhere. It’s right here in our neighborhoods.

To build this awareness, Welcoming Everyone is launching the Local Voices Project. We are gathering residents’ stories about their personal experiences with racism or other types of inequity. The goal of Local Voices is to call us to be more compassionate neighbors and, more importantly, to lead us to take action. Action for some might be getting to know a neighbor who looks, worships, or loves differently than they do. For others, action may be getting involved in local initiatives to change local policies and practices.

If you have experienced racial or other forms of discrimination and are willing to tell us about it, Welcoming Everyone would like to hear your story. A story can be a written narrative or a script of an interview between you and a family member or friend.

Please email your story/interview by Friday, September 4th to welcoming15143@gmail.com. See the guidelines for submission at sewickleylibrary.org/welcoming-everyone.

Since we are unable to meet in-person at this time, Welcoming Everyone and Sewickley Public Library will co-host an online storytelling event on Sunday, September 20th at 6:30 PM at which several stories/interviews will be heard. The readings will be followed by Q&A. After the event, Welcoming Everyone plans to share Local Voices with the public through our Facebook page and by email.

We invite the community to participate in Local Voices with open minds and hearts in order to listen, learn, and be inspired to make our community a welcoming place for all.