Mayor Kasim Reed Celebrates Immigrant Heritage Month by Launching Office of Immigrant Affairs and New Welcoming Atlanta Website

ATLANTA – Mayor Kasim Reed announced the new Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Welcoming Atlanta website (www.welcomingatlanta.com) today as the City of Atlanta celebrates Immigrant Heritage Month. The Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Welcoming Atlanta website are two of the twenty recommendations put forth by the Welcoming Atlanta Working Group in September of 2014 to support Atlanta’s growing immigrant and foreign-born population and ensure that Atlanta remains a global leader in the 21st century.

Metropolitan Atlanta boasts the second-fastest growing foreign-born population in the United States. Last year, the City of Atlanta launched the Welcoming Atlanta initiative to bring together city government and community leaders to create a more welcoming and inclusive Atlanta that attracts and retains diverse talent, while ensuring that all Atlantans are meaningfully included and supported by our city programs, regardless of language spoken or country of birth. Together, the new Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the existing Mayoral Welcoming Atlanta Advisory Committee and the new Welcoming Atlanta website institutionalize the Welcoming Atlanta initiative as part of the fabric of the greater Atlanta community.

“I am proud to announce the launch of the new Office of Immigrant Affairs and Welcoming Atlanta website during Immigrant Heritage Month,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “Inclusiveness is part of Atlanta’s history and culture, and we know that our city is strongest when everyone feels welcomed and supported, and my Office of Immigrant Affairs will provide that support to Atlanta’s foreign-born residents.”

The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs is part of the Office of the Chief Service Officer. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs is run by Director Michelle Maziar and Deputy Director Luisa F. Cardona. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs will serve as the liaison between the City of Atlanta and the immigrant and foreign-born community, build capacity within city government to better support immigrants and refugees, and implement the 2014 Welcoming Atlanta Working Group immigrant-integration recommendations.

The Welcoming Atlanta website, www.welcomingatlanta.com, is a tool for all Atlantans which celebrates the contributions of Atlanta’s immigrant and refugee population and serves as a resource to facilitate integration for Atlanta’s foreign-born communities.

Today’s announcements coincide with the celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month which honors the contributions of immigrants to the American fabric – in business, labor, culture and politics throughout the United States. Learn more about the campaign and Immigrant Heritage Month by visiting Welcome.us.

View the full press release here.

View the Welcoming Atlanta website here.

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