Mayor Briley joined community leaders and immigration advocates in kicking off Immigrant Heritage Month (IHM) with a celebration and art installation at the Nashville Farmers’ Market today.
“Nashville is a vibrant and diverse city, and in many ways that is due to our thriving immigrant communities,” said Mayor Briley. “We have intentionally built a welcoming, supportive environment for New Americans here, and I am committed as mayor to keeping it that way. The celebration today honors the many contributions immigrants have made and will continue to make to our city.”
“Different religions, languages and skin colors bring awareness to the fact that how you live is not the only way. That’s the benefit of celebrating immigrants,” said Bijal Mehta of the Mayor’s New Americans Advisory Council. “Nashville is a stronger city because of its immigrants, and we should always seek to lift them up in our community.”
The anchor of this year’s IHM celebrations is a public art installation. The #Celebrate Immigrants art demonstration proudly displays ‘I love Nashville’ and invites participants to share their immigrant heritage or that of a loved one by placing a flag of their identified heritage(s) on the heart itself.
The event is part of the I Stand With Immigrants Initiative, powered by <fwd.us>, and is one of dozens being held across the country. This year marks the sixth-annual Immigrant Heritage Month and is an opportunity to celebrate immigrants, immigration and their heritage.
