University of New Mexico’s El Centro de la Raza hosts a two-day conference, “Immigration Symposium: Dispelling Myths and Raising Awareness,” Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 14-15 starting at 7:30 a.m. in the UNM Student Union Building.
The Immigration Symposium, highlighting the continual influence of immigration and culture, will present the controversy of immigration through several social, economic and political viewpoints.
The symposium opens “dialogue amongst people affected and impacted by immigration,” said Joaquín Arguellö, student program specialist at El Centro de la Raza.
Each of the 10 panels the conference will introduce addresses particular issues in the relationship immigration has in today’s society. Panel topics include: economics and how conservative economic ideologies influence immigration, education and access to education that immigrants have in New Mexico, health and healthcare inequalities in immigrant communities, historical issues in U.S. immigration policy, identity and maintaining one’s heritage in another culture and comparing immigration on a global scale.
Additional panels will allow UNM students to discuss their experiences with immigration issues as well as a unique panel describing women and immigration, called “Before, During and After.”
“Before, During and After” will journal the conditions that prompt female immigration, experiences of the immigration process, roles that women fill once they are in the United States and challenges of preserving customs and traditions while adjusting to a new culture.
El Centro de la Raza invites all faculty, staff and students who are interested in immigration issues or would like to share their experiences to attend.
Call 277-5020, e-mail at elcentro@unm.edu or visit their web site at El Centro de la Raza for more details.