JCMCF History
"I really feel at home here is one of the highest compliments that can be said about a neighborhood, city or state. Jefferson City, like any city, has a diverse, ever-changing population, from natives to newcomers. All deserve to feel equally at home."
This is the first line from an editorial published in the Jefferson City News Tribune on June 18, 2000. That date marked a significant step for the community of Jefferson City and mid-Missouri. It was at that time the Jefferson City Multicultural Forum began its formal process of foundation. And those first few words within the editorial reflected the hopes of the Forum in its earliest stages of effort toward making everyone in Jefferson City feel part of the community.
The actual beginning of the Forum was in the fall of 1999 when the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce organized a trip to Rogers, Arkansas, the purpose of which was to investigate how the community dealt with the influx of Hispanic immigrants to their area. There were approximately 60 members of the Jefferson City governmental, education, business and human services organizations as well as the community at-large who participated in the trip.
During the two day stay in Rogers, members of the task force met with their counterparts from the Rogers area. They heard the stories of local immigrants and the community members regarding changes that had to be made to accommodate new languages and traditions. They also got a sense of the challenge it could be to welcome a large influx of persons with different backgrounds to their once very homogeneous city. Some of these challenges included new curriculum offerings within the schools, a language gap for new immigrants trying to open bank accounts or shop in local stores, a lack of adequate, affordable housing, an understanding of laws, a mixing of cultures and many more.
The Jefferson City Multicultural Forum exists to foster understanding of and communication between races and cultures by:
Promoting harmony;
Welcoming diverse groups into the existing population
Encouraging acceptance and acknowledgement of our diversity; and,
Working with individuals of all origins to develop capable, productive citizens.
Armed with new census information, outlines of plans from other local communities such as California and Sedalia, Missouri, and the above statement, a Board of Directors was elected and a new non-profit organization of the Jefferson City Multicultural Forum was legally instituted in January 2001.
The Board of Directors consists of a cross-section of the Jefferson City population, drawing individuals from many cultures, including Hispanic, Asian, Indian, African, African-American and more. Community representation was also established to include educators and administrators from the public and private educational institutions, religious leaders, business members, college staff and faculty, recent immigrants, health department, officials, governmental entities, law enforcement and private individuals.
Initial funding for the Forum's work came from a $1,000 grant offered by Scholastic. This money along with in-kind services from Scholastic and other business members within the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce allowed the Forum to cover its legal obligations regarding its foundation and begin to focus on the tasks at hand: Diversity Training, Resource Directory, and community events such as the Multicultural Fall Festival.