With Indigenous Americans now accounting for only two percent of the total population, the U.S. is truly a nation of immigrants. Since 1886, the iconic Statue of Liberty has stood as a symbol of mass immigration to our shores. A plaque at Lady Liberty’s base bears the following: “With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”

Under the current U.S. administration, immigrants of Latin, Asian and African descent are being met with unprecedented legal action against their tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Join local Latin, Asian and African activists for a panel focusing on how DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), licenses and the wall are obstacles to their assimilation as Americans.

Panel moderated by:
Chanpone Sinlapasai-Okamura; Chair, OR Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs

Panel:

Linda Castillo; Chair, OR Commission on Hispanic Affairs
Djimet Dogo; Assistant Director, IRCO Africa House 
Luis Garcia; Portland nurse, former ICE detainee
Representative from CAUSA, Oregon’s Immigrant Rights Org.

This series deals with race in Oregon, both historically and up to the present time, to provide learning experiences that support the development of racial identity and sensitivity.

Each month, Kennedy School hosts a presentation on a different topic of ethnicity and racial elements in Oregon history, given by educators and/or experts in the topic at hand. The aim is to provide educational and learning experiences that support the development of intercultural sensitivity and racial identity.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp