Gwinnett joins global group to make communities more welcoming

Myrna Gacusan gives 11-year old Rinna a hug before she begins her school day at Coleman Middle School in Duluth on August 7, 2017. The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta triggered a population boom — and international immigrants — in the Atlanta area. With a school system that was already beginning to be considered among the best in the Southeast, Gwinnett County was a popular destination. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Credit: John Spink

Credit: John Spink

Myrna Gacusan gives 11-year old Rinna a hug before she begins her school day at Coleman Middle School in Duluth on August 7, 2017. The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta triggered a population boom — and international immigrants — in the Atlanta area. With a school system that was already beginning to be considered among the best in the Southeast, Gwinnett County was a popular destination. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Gwinnett County has joined the Welcoming Network, an international association of more than 300 local governments and nonprofits working to build more inclusive communities.

The group is run by Welcoming America, a nonprofit that promotes inclusion toward immigrants and others. It helps members increase equity in areas such as language access, health care and economic development, according to a county news release.

Gwinnett County is the second-largest county in Georgia, and the most diverse.

“In Gwinnett, we recognize that advancing inclusion and belonging for people of all races, national origins and ethnicities strengthens our purpose,” Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said in the release. “Foreign-born residents are a vital part of our community and bring fresh perspectives and new ideas, start businesses and contribute to the vibrancy we all value.”