About
Celebrating Culture
Connecting Community
Ridgefield Multicultural Initiative (RMI) is dedicated to celebrating and preserving the rich tapestry of cultures within our community. We provide educational programs, organize events, and host an annual festival to foster cross-cultural understanding and promote inclusivity. Our team is committed to creating a welcoming space where everyone can share their heritage and connect with others. What sets us apart is our focus on empowering diverse cultural voices and building a more tolerant world.
Our mission is to celebrate culture, educate, and create intentional space for belonging in our community by organizing events and an annual festival.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to celebrate culture, educate, and create intentional space for belonging in our community by organizing events and an annual festival.
Vision Statement
We envision a Ridgefield where everyone is welcomed and celebrated. There is a thriving culture of belonging, inclusivity, and cross-cultural understanding. People from all backgrounds feel supported and free to express their cultural identity.
Meet the Team
In 2017, our President, Megan Dudley, took an idea to the City of Ridgefield for an annual festival that would celebrate culture. City leadership, especially Lee Knottnerus and Jessica Kipp, embraced the idea and nurtured it, and the annual Ridgefield Multicultural Festival was born in 2018. It was important to Dr. Dudley to do this work as her own family's culture had been suppressed during World War II, and in the years following. She wanted to have a space where everyone could celebrate their culture without fear of retaliation or ostracization
