USA: Want diversity? Talk about it and reach out | Oshkosh example

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"They [Ahmadiyya Muslim Community] reached out and said, 'This is who we are, learn who we are,' and they’ve become a very vital part of our community."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
By Nathaniel Shuda | February 17, 2016

[Excerpts]

[A]bout two dozen people ... attended a public forum Tuesday at Oshkosh City Hall about diversity, as local leaders hope to kick-start a conversation in a community where Oshkosh Area School District enrollment data show more than 20 percent of students self-identify as a race or ethnicity other than white.
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Of the district's nearly 10,000 students, 7.1 percent identified themselves as Asian; 5 percent as Hispanic or Latino; 4 percent as mixed race; and 3.7 percent as black or African American, said Superintendent Stan Mack II, who attended Tuesday's event.
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Agnes Payne, a former teacher and community organizer who moved to Oshkosh about a year ago from Chicago, said she has had quite a different experience.

"I have found no problem fitting in," said Payne, who is black. "I have met some very, very friendly people."

Payne said when individuals move into a new community, they should not expect those already there to adapt to a new culture. Instead, newcomers should reach out and get involved in order to become a part of that community.
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One example that speaks to Payne's comments is when the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community came to Oshkosh, Deputy Mayor Tom Pech Jr. said.

"They reached out and said, 'This is who we are, learn who we are,' and they’ve become a very vital part of our community," Pech said.
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