Better Toledo Series

The ICS Better Toledo Workshop, "Welcoming in Antiquity and Now: A Workshop on Xenia," led by Dr. Phil Peek, took place on Thursday, September 5, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Toledo Main Library. This successful event marked the kickoff for ICS’s Welcoming Week and was attended by 29 participants.

The workshop explored the ancient Greek concept of xenia (hospitality), with Dr. Peek drawing connections to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey to illustrate its societal importance and potential misuse. Attendees engaged actively, sharing personal experiences of feeling welcome or unwelcome, fostering deeper.

The workshop was collaboratively sponsored by Welcome Toledo Lucas County, the City of Toledo Human Relations Commission, and the Institute for the Study of Culture and Society (ICS), as a part of the library’s Welcome Toledo Lucas Country initiative. The library hosts Welcoming Week to showcase community contributions and highlight that the library is an inclusive place for all. Welcoming Week also aligns with Bowling Green State University’s (BGSU’s) motto ‘A public university for the public good,’ demonstrating the use of humanities for the community.   

About Welcoming Week

Launched in 2012, Welcoming Week provides individuals and organizations the opportunity to showcase their values through events and initiatives that foster connections and collaboration between immigrants and non-immigrants, as well as belonging for all. This celebration is put on globally by Welcoming America. This nonprofit, nonpartisan organization leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs. Welcoming America believes that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of our communities and shared future. In 2022, the City of Toledo and Lucas County were the first city and county to be certified Welcoming.