Crete recently became the first city in Nebraska and only rural community in the country to receive the "Certified welcoming" designation.
The award is granted to cities who ensure a place of belonging for immigrants and refugees. One-fifth of the world’s migrants call the U.S. home, according to the Pew Research Center.
Welcoming America, a non-profit organization, awards the certification to cities that meet the requirements. Some of the "framework areas" to qualify include safe communities, civic engagement and equitable access. Crete, which received the designation last week, is joining 25 cities in the country that have the designation.
“Crete has been able to foster trust in the community with our local government and our local law enforcement, some things that maybe you don't see in smaller communities," said Marilyn Schacht, Crete community assistance director. "We've been able to implement some leadership classes, educating our community on how local government is structured and understanding those layers of government."
Schacht said the process of certification was difficult because they do not keep records of their work in comparison to larger communities that need to keep track of their policies and programs.
“It’s just what we do. We make sure that we include everyone from all backgrounds, regardless of where they're born,” Schacht said. “We want to make sure that they're fully participating and contributing to the community.”
Individuals who are Hispanic make up about 12% of Nebraska’s total population. Hispanic people make up the second largest demographic in Crete, at about 44% of the population.
Last year, a family in Crete was the target of a racially motivated crime. The suspect opened fire on seven Guatemalan immigrants; four of the victims were children. The community has since been working to recover.
Anti-Latino hate crime peaked in 2018 as political parties changed and immigration polled as an important issue, according to data by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.
Schacht said families in the area feel supported and welcomed, they feel connected because of the systems and programs they can participate in. She added community partners helped the city receive its designation.
“I think one of our biggest strengths is those collaborative efforts,” Schacht said. ” We may not have a lot of local resources, so we really have been able to leverage the collaboration efforts with our community partners across the state.”
Now, Schacht is encouraging other cities to apply for the designation to foster a sense of community.
“We have been given the tools to help our community members, we've been able to capitalize on all of that,” Schacht said. “I think this has only made our community stronger as we're more intentional about the work that we're doing.”