By Deborah Reed
deborah@wktv.org
With a combined 130K residents, Wyoming and Kentwood are the two largest neighboring communities to Grand Rapids, and represent one of the most diverse areas of West Michigan.
Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber’s Business Diversity Council continually works to uncover issues and concerns for those in the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities of Wyoming, Kentwood, and surrounding south Kent County areas.
The Council recently met to discuss how local companies can best receive and support international employees and new American neighbors.
The meeting included presentations of cross-cultural training by Laura Cronin, Director of West Michigan Friendship Center, and Natasha Mueller, Community Engagement Director, that worked to give businesses ideas and tools that would help them navigate language barriers, religious considerations, transportation, cultural differences, and much more.
Also touched on during the meeting was the importance of continuous efforts to understand and learn about those in our communities.
In a supplied statement, Mueller said that she believes “curiosity is key to cultural understanding.”
Mueller has put that belief into action over the years as she worked with leadership from various Latin American countries, the Cuban and Haitian refugee communities at Bethany Christian Services, and now as part of a multicultural team that represents each continent and more than 5 countries.
Cronin’s time teaching in under-resourced neighborhoods and directing international mission work has taught her that “valuing the individual is good for cross-cultural relationships and good for business.”
The Kent County Welcome Plan website states that “Grand Rapids and Kent County are home to everyone who lives here, and it should feel like it too.”
The site went on to say that creating a “welcoming and inclusive environment for new Americans, immigrants, and refugees in Kent County is not only the right thing to do, it also contributes economically to the area’s well-being.”
To learn more about the Business Diversity Council and how to become involved, visit https://www.southkent.org/business-diversity-council/.
For a list of resources for international neighbors, visit Thrive.
