Billboards Promote Multicultural Unity
Billboards Promote Multicultural Unity Save Email Print
Grand Island
Posted: 7:01 PM Nov 10, 2008
Last Updated: 3:26 PM Nov 14, 2008
Reporter: Sara Geake
Email Address: sara.geake@kolnkgin.com


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Products and companies are being replaced by a deeper message on some Nebraska billboards.

Community unity is the goal of campaigns in Crete, Seward, Schuyler, and Grand Island.

The face of Nebraskans continues to change, and now you can see that change on billboards across the state.

"I'm so excited," said Odalys Perez. "I think it's going to be, it's going to open up, it's going to start dialogues and conversations that we need to have. We cannot keep silent about our differences."

Perez was born in Cuba.

Now she heads Grand Island's Multicultural Coalition.

"Nebraska is home now," she said.

That's the theme attached to billboards and posters going up in the community.

"Hopefully it'll translate into attitudes and then they'll translate into action," said Pastor Jay Vetter of G.I.'s Trinity United Methodist Church. "It's just important to keep in mind that really we're here for the same reason, to build a good life, to raise our children."

"We are so different and at the same time we have so many similarities, and we all value the same things Nebraskans value. We value family. We value work. We are husker fans," said Perez.

A message community members say is more important than ever as we go through hard economic times.

"We have a tendency to scapegoat people and try to blame somebody and often the new person is the one that gets blamed," said Vetter. "I know my great grandfather experienced some of that, came around the turn of the last century and World War I was a tough time for those people with German accents."

Now community leaders hope these signs will lead to acceptance of people with all kinds of accents.

Nebraska Appleseed coordinated the campaigns, and funds for the project came from grants through the group.

Community leaders from each community helped design the campaign, so every city is different.

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Posted by: Nebraska Is Home Location: Grand Island on Nov 13, 2008 at 02:54 PM
We encourage everyone to visit www.NebraskaIsHome.org to learn more about this fun community effort!

Posted by: happygael Location: Lincoln on Nov 11, 2008 at 10:54 AM
it is nice to know that people will be getting together instead of people sitting in their respective corners not making an effort to know others. It would help if everybody spoke the same language. The language of the majority in the host country would be a good start.

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