Over 300 scholars, social workers, students and members of the community attended the conference on undocumented Hispanic migration October 16 to 18.
Attendees of the conference discussed topics ranging from Coast Guard migrant interdiction to studying the narratives of Hispanic migrants. The conference was said to be an informative, commendable success.
“I was incredibly impressed with the number of attendees and the variety of fields they represented,” said Amy Martin from the Office of College Relations. “Professor Graziano should be commended for his hard work and determination in putting this conference together.”
There were 46 panels and lectures, featuring more than 100 presenters, from prestigious professors to city officials.
Several classes being offered here at Connecticut College this semester tied in to the themes of the conference. Claire Dufek ’10 is taking the Hispanic Studies course entitled Undocumented Hispanic Migration.
“I think that the immigration conference was the crux of the entire class to this point. The participants in the conference were clearly experts who had spent years researching and working in undocumented migration public policy, but thanks to the background Professor Graziano provided us with I was able to understand what was being discussed,” said Dufek.
Katie Sugg ’10, was struck by the positive tone of the conference. “I attended a variety of panels on immigrant youth. I was amazed by the way that the speakers discussed active solutions to the obstacles that undocumented children face, instead of just presenting us with problems and leaving us frustrated.”
The conference drew coverage from several online news sources. Martin also made regular updates to the College’s Twitter account, using the #ccimmigration tag.
The conference represented a new push at the college toward continuing debate over intellectual and current events related topics out of class time.
“You cannot find a better primary source than some of these presentations,” continued Dufek. “More than just sitting and hearing people talk, this conference allowed us to connect and have intimate conversations with people who have lived through and experienced firsthand the hardships of immigrating to the U.S. and surviving as undocumented residents.
“Their stories are incredible, and it really gave me a whole new appreciation for my birth rights as an American citizen.”
Photo by Karam Sethi
