Why should a local government care about welcoming immigrants and becoming an actively empathetic institution?
Creating an environment that is friendly toward immigrants is both a matter of human decency and smart economics. A welcoming city is more likely to thrive, thus illustrating the “empathy imperative”—the critical importance of empathy within communities today. A person who is welcoming to another resident shows active empathy—the kind that involves concrete steps on behalf of the “welcomer” to help make the resident’s journey smoother.
In this way, the empathy imperative is a powerful economic driver that also makes a city a more vibrant, inclusive, and pleasant place to live.
by David Lubel
