Belonging Begins With Us, Johnson County
Whether it’s starting a new job, changing schools or neighborhoods, we’ve all had moments where we felt like we didn’t belong. For people who moved to this country, this experience can last more than a moment. From language barriers to cultural differences, feeling excluded can take years to overcome. Yet, because we all know how it feels to be excluded, we also know how to make others feel they belong. When that happens, communities can fully harness the strengths, talents, and contributions of each person to build shared prosperity.
This Welcoming Week, let’s ensure that each and every one of us has the power to help others, regardless of their background, to feel like they are seen, embraced, welcomed, and included in our communities.
Welcoming Week is an annual campaign that celebrates the work in communities to become welcoming places for all, including immigrants. Launched in 2012 by Welcoming America and its members, Welcoming Week provides individuals and organizations the opportunity to showcase their values through events and initiatives that foster connections and collaboration between immigrants and non-immigrants, as well as belonging for all.
Welcoming Week 2026: September 10 – 19
2026 Events
The Banner Project
Thursday, September 10
Free Community Picnic on the Lawn
Time: 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Location: Coralville Public Library Lawn, 1401 5th Street, Coralville, IA 52241
Presenting Organization: Coralville Community Food Pantry & Coralville Public Library
About:
- The Coralville Community Food Pantry is excited to partner with our friends at the Coralville Public Library to host a Free Community Picnic On The Lawn on Thursday, September 10, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the library’s front lawn. All are welcome! This meal is a kickoff celebration of the 10-day long Welcoming Week in Johnson County. The goal of the meal is to cultivate solidarity, celebrate the diversity, and fostering a welcoming environment within our community by sharing a nourishing meal with our neighbors. Vegan and gluten-free options will be available.
Friday, September 11
Welcome Weekend Rock the Block
Time: 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: 1035 Wade Street and Towncrest Plaza Square
Presenting Organization: IC Compassion
About:
- An all-are-welcome neighborhood block party Welcome Weekend kickoff with local businesses, vendors and organizations, free food, music, resources, a Find the Flag Scavenger Hunt with prizes, highlighting flags from nearly 100 countries honoring America’s 250th birthday and celebrating all who live here!
Propoganda and Disinformation: Social Media, Podcasts, AI, and Cable News
Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: Iowa City Public Library – 123 S. Linn St. Iowa City IA 52240
Presenting Organization: Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
About:
- Designed to empower citizens, this program provides strategies to verify digital content by recognizing manipulative AI-generated images and video as well as the rhetorical tactics of extremist podcasts. The aim is to ensure your vote is based on facts rather than fabricated narratives.
Saturday, September 12
Welcome, Neighbors! (A Welcoming Week Community Gathering)
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room D – 123 S. Linn St. Iowa City IA 52240
Presenting Organization: Iowa City Public Library
About:
- Connect: Join a casual community conversation about what helps people feel welcome, what brings us together, and how we can build a community where everyone has a place.Create: Help us create a month-long community window mural inspired by this year’s Welcoming Week theme, “Stories We Share: The Courage to Connect.” Add a word, drawing, or message about what welcome means to you. Share: Add your thoughts to our community story mural and discover what your neighbors have to say about belonging, connection, and welcome. Enjoy coffee, refreshments, and a welcoming space to meet your neighbors.
Sunday, September 13
Intercultural Welcome Festival
Time: 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Location: Mercer Park (1317 Dover Street, Iowa City, IA 52240)
Presenting Organization: IC Compassion
About:
- A park-wide multicultural all-ages festival and celebration with many live music performances, free meal and food samples from around the world, dancing dragon, children’s activities, balloon animals, community soccer games, resource and other vendors, cultural displays reflecting the richness or our community, and celebrating the 20th anniversary of IC Compassion and its impact.
Tuesday, September 15
National Voter Registration Day
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 p.m.
Location: Iowa City Public Library – 123 S. Linn St. Iowa City IA 52240
Presenting Organization: League of Women Voters of Johnson County & Iowa City
About:
- The Iowa City Public Library and the League of Women Voters of Johnson County will be holding a voter registration session on Tuesday, Sept 15 th from 11:00-4:00 in the lobby of the Library. To register to vote you need to bring a photo id and proof of your address. If your drivers license shows your current address that will work for both. Or you may bring a piece of mail addressed to you at your current address or a copy of your lease (either printed or digital).
National Voter Registration Day by APAPA
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 p.m.
Location: Iowa City Public Library – 123 S. Linn St. Iowa City IA 52240
Presenting Organization:Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association – APAPA
About:
- Join us for a nonpartisan voter registration booth to help eligible community members register to vote, update their registration, and learn how to participate in upcoming elections.
Democratic Backsliding: What is It, How Does It Impact Elections, How Can It Be Stopped?
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Iowa City Public Library – 123 S. Linn St. Iowa City IA 52240
Presenting Organization: Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
About:
- As the 2026 US midterms approach, this panel examines democratic backsliding worldwide and its direct and indirect effects on electoral integrity, voter participation, and political norms—at home and abroad.
Wednesday, September 16
2026 Johnson County Healthy Aging Fair
Time: 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: 520 W Cherry Street, North Liberty, IA 52317
Presenting Organization: University of Iowa Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence, Johnson County, City of North Liberty
About:
- Join the University of Iowa Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence, Johnson County and the City of North Liberty for their first-ever Welcoming Week Healthy Aging Fair.
2026 Johnson County Welcoming Week Resource Fair
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Johnson County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque Street
Presenting Organization: Johnson County and City of North Liberty
About:
- Join us for a Welcoming Week Resource Fair in Johnson County! Connect with local organizations, community partners, and service providers offering resources, information, and opportunities for individuals and families. Come learn, connect, and celebrate the welcoming spirit of our community.
Thursday, September 17
PASSPORT TO PLAY: A Celebration of Games and Culture from around the Globe
Time: 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Iowa Children’s Museum, 1451 Coral Ridge Avenue, Coralville, IA 52241
Presenting Organization: The Iowa Children’s Museum
About:
- The Iowa Children’s Museum (The ICM) invites you to a special Welcoming Week celebration! During this event, museum exhibits will be free and open to everyone, and kids will have a chance to explore games and traditions from around the world, completing a passport on their journey through the museum. Members of The ICM team also will be sharing about the museum’s new Sharing Culture Through Play initiative, which will focus on unique cultural collaborations and opportunities through a series of in-museum and neighborhood-based activities in the coming year. The ICM is a museum for ALL … please join us! For more information about the museum and its programs, please visit www.theicm.org.
Friday, September 18
We Are Not What You Think: A Musical Journey of Truth, Work, and Belonging
Time: 4:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: 1927 Keokuk St, Iowa City, IA, 52240
Presenting Organization: Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County
About:
- On September 18th, the Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County will hold a multicultural bazaar and immigrant storytelling event with live music where community members are encouraged to support local immigrant food businesses and listen to the stories of immigration to the United States from families of different cultural backgrounds.
Saturday, September 19
Iowa City Latino Fest 2026
Time: 12:00-9:00 p.m.
Location: Ped Mall, Downtown Iowa City
About:
- Welcome to the Latino Fest Iowa City, an enthralling celebration of Latino culture dedicated to fostering inclusivity among our vibrant and ever-growing Latino population in the area, which has experienced significant growth over the past decade. The Latino Fest is our gateway to constructing cultural bridges, promoting unity among the diverse races and cultures residing in the heart of Iowa City.
Saturday, September 26
African Festival of Arts and Culture
Time: 12:00-9:00 p.m.
Location: Ped Mall, Downtown Iowa City
Presenting Organization: The James Gang
About:
- The African Festival of Arts and Culture celebrates the vibrant presence of Africans in Iowa and highlights the rich cultural traditions they have brought with them. Africa is a hugely diverse continent with 54 countries, hundreds of languages, and thousands of ethnic groups. Africa Fest performances and booths will showcase some of the cuisines, musical traditions, fashions, and art of the African groups who call Iowa home
Welcome, Johnson County! Banner Project
Since 2015, Johnson County has maintained its Welcoming Johnson County Banner Project which showcases the diversity of our community with banners hung throughout Iowa City, Coralville, and Kirkwood Community College. The purpose of this project is to foster greater cultural diversity within our communities and amplify the work of our citizens. This year, find Welcoming Johnson County Banners throughout Downtown Iowa City!
