Welcome Blanket: An Act of Inclusion and Welcome

In the United States of America in 2017, a woman should not be killed by a white supremacist domestic terrorist because she protests Nazis. With our outrage, let’s work together to craft the kind of society in which we wish to live.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has published a thorough guide about 10 ways to fight hate. For the guide, click here.

Participating in Welcome Blanket is one way to take our country by warmth, kindness, and inclusion. It celebrates our diversity, provides a way to talk about complex issues surrounding immigration, and supports our newest neighbors. The skills we use in this project to demonstrate our ideas and ideals. And at this crucial time of localized demonstrations, Welcome Blanket allows us to connect locally and build positive community— and share this connection nationally and globally.

(IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Welcome Blanket no. 00008  is a 5X5 gray and red repeated half square triangle pattern comes from Atlanta, GA with a note of welcome: "My family, and your family, is 100% American. If you feel like the USA is home, it is home. Never let anyone tell you that you do not belong here. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. I am excited you are here, and I am excited to learn more about your culture.”)

The United States is a large and complicated place. We may not solve our immigration issues or stamp out white nationalism by sharing stories and making blankets. However, I hope that our collective action will remind ourselves and demonstrate the humanity of the idea that “all men are created equal.”

The Smart Museum provides a public platform or an extended, deep discussion around immigration issues. But it’s not the only forum. Your craft circle may also be a great space to process where we have been, where we are, and where we are going as country in terms of immigration.

Sitting with multiple Welcome Blanket groups, I have gotten to know people on an entirely different level because we shared our families’ histories and talked about the refugee crisis. I feel I have become a part of more communities from this project. I am so thankful.

Notions of white supremacy and white nationalism have driven the border wall, the travel ban, the proposed language requirement.

Your participation in Welcome Blanket is one way to take opposite action and prove the necessity of pluralism.

Keep crafting, learning, talking, and spreading the word.

-Jayna