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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-155 - Affirming Fayetteville as a Welcoming and Inclusive Community (Resolution) (2) CityClerk From:Clint Schnekloth <perichoresis2002@mac.com> Sent:Tuesday, February 4, 2025 5:26 PM To:Agenda Item Comment Subject:welcome CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Fayetteville City Council 113 W. Mountain Street Fayetteville, AR 72701 Dear Members of the Fayetteville City Council, I am writing to express my gratitude for the City of Fayetteville’s adoption of the Welcoming Fayetteville Plan. This plan is a forward-thinking and comprehensive approach to fostering inclusivity and belonging in our community, and I deeply appreciate the commitment it reflects. As the Council considers reaffirming the welcome resolution that Council Member Sarah Moore is bringing forward, I want to share my perspective. While I fully support the spirit of reaffirming our city’s dedication to being a welcoming community, I believe the most impactful action the Council could take at this time is to focus on implementing and advancing the goals already outlined in the adopted Welcoming Fayetteville Plan. The plan provides a robust road map for welcome, and I believe it deserves focused attention and sustained investment. Specifically, the nine summary items listed in the plan offer a clear framework for action: • To see an increase in Fayetteville's foreign-born population • To offer more multilingual materials in City government, local organizations, and from service providers • To have a diverse demographic participating in local government • To build strong, trusting relationships between new Americans and local government, community, neighbors, service providers, and public safety departments • To develop intentional, thoughtful approaches to programs that take into consideration all residents • For Fayettevillians to be more educated about the value that new Americans and cultural diversity bring to our city • To foster ongoing conversations between the City and organizations that frequently work with new Americans • To increase efforts to attract and retain talent, including international students • To increase access to housing and transportation services. To ensure the success of these efforts, I would encourage the Council to prioritize regular updates and reports on how the plan is being implemented, along with open dialogue about progress at Council meetings. Additionally, I would love to see the Council’s energy and political capital directed toward accelerating the completion of key items in the plan that remain "in progress,” including building a bricks and mortar hub assisting foreign-born residents, and translating more city documents into other languages, especially Spanish (see the document here, https://www.fayetteville- ar.gov/3300/Welcoming-Fayetteville-Plan) By doing so, the City of Fayetteville would demonstrate its unwavering commitment to creating a more inclusive and welcoming community, not just in principle but in actionable progress. Thank you for your leadership and dedication to ensuring that Fayetteville continues to be a city that values and celebrates all of its residents. I look forward to seeing how we can build on the strong foundation of the Welcoming 1 Fayetteville Plan and move toward its full realization. Sincerely, Clint Schnekloth -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Clint Schnekloth Author of A Guidebook to Progressive Church, https://a.co/d/eYVW0Gt Pastor Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Fayetteville, AR 72703 phone: 479-521-2113 cell: 479-799-3120 http://goodshepherdnwa.org/ perichoresis2002@me.com Blog: https://clintschnekloth.substack.com Twitter: @Schnekloth Instagram: clintschnekloth Pronouns: He/him 2