August 31, 2017 | Categories: About the FHC
In 1994, in response to hate crimes in Ann Arbor, the Fair Housing Center worked with community members to start its first WIMBY pledge campaign (Welcome In My BackYard). We updated the original version and relaunched the campaign in 2017, during a time of increased visibility of intolerance, to help draw attention to the large number of people who believe in diversity and inclusion.
The public can read the pledge and sign on to show their support at www.fhcWIMBY.org. The pledge is about fostering diversity and inclusion, understanding our own implicit biases, and challenging us to speak up against prejudices and stereotypes. Signers are asked to demonstrate their commitment to the pledge and its principles by prominently displaying the fhcWIMBY logo (with a yard sign, poster, sticker, car magnet, etc.) and taking action against injustices in their community.
To help spread the word about the pledge campaign, a video of local residents reading the pledge was created. The FHC asked the community at large to submit a video clip. Ypsilanti Community High School Art Teacher, Lynne Settles, noted, “When I asked them [her students] to do the pledge, and they read the pledge, one of the first things said was, “This is really important – I am glad we were asked.”
Danielle DeAngelis, Program & Communication Coordinator for the NEW Center in Ann Arbor, said “staff was excited for the opportunity to show their support to the entire Southeastern Michigan community. We ourselves were looking for a way to let our tenants and neighbors know that they are always “welcome in our backyard.” This pledge gave us an opportunity to be direct about this message, and join the community while doing so.”
The WIMBY pledge is not limited to Washtenaw county, or even to Michigan. The FHC hopes that many more people will resonate with the welcoming message, as opposed to a Not In My BackYard (NIMBY) attitude of intolerance and prejudice toward difference.
Video clips can be submitted on an ongoing basis. Learn more here.