Alaska Dispatch News: Opinion: Anchorage embraces role as welcoming city

When Anchorage joined the Welcoming Cities network in 2014, we reaffirmed our commitment and connection to each other and to our community. The Welcoming Anchorage initiative honors the values deeply rooted in our city that sits on the traditional homelands of the Dena’ina.  “Welcoming Anchorage” highlights Anchorage as a place proud of our heritage and poised to be a globally competitive, culturally vibrant community ready to take on the opportunities and challenges we face at the edge of the Arctic.

This week, the Municipality and our partners – the Anchorage School District, the Anchorage Economic Development Corp., the Anchorage Museum and countless others are celebrating Welcoming Week for the third year in a row.  As with prior years, we have a series of events planned to bring our neighborhoods and residents together to once again commit to welcoming all who are dedicated to ensuring that Anchorage is a safe and happy home for generations to come.

The Anchorage Assembly kicked off this year’s Welcoming Week by adopting the Welcoming Anchorage Strategic Roadmap at a recent meeting. This roadmap concluded months of engagement and discussion around our community’s shared values.  This collaborative process led to the development of a living document that describes Anchorage residents’ sense of what a Welcoming Anchorage looks like, feels like and acts like.  The roadmap identified the core values of our community — inclusivity, equity, and justice — and offers a variety of actions our city’s residents and government can take as we seek to become a globally competitive and culturally vibrant city.