Inclusive Springfield is a project of the Inclusive Springfield Advisory Board and is housed under the umbrella of Community Partnership of the Ozarks.
Darline Mabins, director of Inclusive Springfield, said the initiative was modeled after Inclusive Dubuque in Iowa. One goal is to highlight all of the cultures that are currently in Springfield.
"I don't think people realize how much we do have," she said. "We have a large Ukrainian population now. We have people who settle here from The Congo. We have people — a Burmese population, and if you don't see it, you know, often because we, I think, live in silos or specific geo parts of Springfield, then you don't know it's here."
Mabins said they’ll reach out to people through social media and through their website, inclusivespringfield.org, showcasing cultural events happening around the community and allowing people to share their stories.
She hopes the initiative will help retain talent as well as recruit new talent to Springfield.
"Being that hub where people can go to and see what is happening in our community and where they can go to be a part of that is one of the big things, being a support to employers as they are bringing people to Springfield to visit the area," Mabins said.
She hopes the initiative will also help people to see that we’re more alike than we are different – that we’re all looking for a place where we can be safe and thrive.
