SALEM – As the City of Salem prepares to mark the start of national Welcoming Week, it is pleased to announce that it has achieved a 3-star Certified Welcoming Community designation from Welcoming America. Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo today announced the designation at a U.S. citizenship naturalization ceremony at the House of the Seven Gables.
Certified Welcoming is a formal designation from Welcoming America for cities and counties that have created policies and programs that reflect their values and commitment to immigrant inclusion and belonging. Since launching in 2017 and introducing the star designation system in 2023, Certified Welcoming and its operating framework, the Welcoming Standard, have served as a roadmap for local governments seeking to build objectively welcoming communities. With this designation, Salem becomes the third Massachusetts community – after Boston and Worcester – to achieve Certified Welcoming status.
“In Salem our values and our actions are inspired by our unique history,“ said Mayor Pangallo. “We’re a city of immigrants and travelers – of new citizens and new ideas. Salem is a place where, for four centuries now, people from across the world have put down roots and raised up families. This year, as we mark 400 years since Salem’s founding, this certification is all the more meaningful. It’s a moment to recommit ourselves to being a city that works for and welcomes all. Salem’s story is the American story: of a place constantly shaped, for the better, by the addition of new chapters. My thanks to Welcoming America for their support in our journey to achieve this designation, to the City staff who carried the work forward, and to the community partners who join with us very day to ensure that Salem continues to be a place that welcomes all who care enough about it to want to call it home.”
“Salem is showing what a stronger, safer, more prosperous community looks like when local government, schools, and community organizations are intentional about inclusion.” said Rachel Perić, Executive Director, Welcoming America, “This designation reflects that commitment – and we’re proud to recognize Salem as a Certified Welcoming community.”
To achieve the 3-star designation, Salem’s City departments participated in a voluntary audit of the work that they do to include and support immigrant residents in the city’s civic, social, and economic life. Community partners, including North Shore Community Development Coalition, the House of the Seven Gables, Welcoming Immigrant Network, and more, also assisted in Salem earning the designation, thanks to their aligned work welcoming and empowering new residents to the community.
About Welcoming America
Welcoming America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs. We believe that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of our communities and shared future. Learn more at welcomingamerica.org
Media Contacts
For Welcoming America: Leslie Nguyen-Okwu, leslie@welcomingamerica.org]
For the City of Salem: Chief of Staff Lisa Peterson lpeterson@salem.com
