Two organizations are co-sponsoring a forum to examine immigration.
Long Island Network for Change (LINC) and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington have scheduled the Facets and Faces of Immigration on Sunday, June 2, at the UUF at 3 p.m. at 109 Browns Road, Huntington.
Immigration issues have been in the national and local news lately, and continue to challenge lawmakers, government agencies, and local communities. The forum seeks to draw together various organizations which are on the front lines of immigration efforts, and will address legal issues facing immigrant families, the plight of farmworkers, education programs, and pending legislation. An important component of the event will be a discussion on creating positive change and how local community members can get involved.
“America has always offered opportunities to immigrants and their children to better themselves, and correspondingly we have benefitted by their involvement. In exchange for embracing an American identity and citizenship, immigrants have served in its military, fostered technological innovation, harvested its crops, and enriched everything from the nation’s cuisine to its universities, music, and art,” said Peter Wayne, LINC Event Committee Chairman.
The program for the afternoon will:
- Summarize how immigrants and their descendants are integrating into American, New York State and Long Island society;
- Identify important gaps in existing knowledge;
- Discuss the implications for national, state and local policy options;
- Hear directly from immigrants currently residing in our community, learn of their plights and the obstacles they face.
The Keynote speaker will be Patrick Young, Esq, Program Director – Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN) and co-founder of the Long Island Civic Engagement Table. “The United States prides itself on being a nation of immigrants, and the nation has a long history of successfully absorbing people from across the globe,” states Mr. Young. “The successful integration of immigrants and their children contributes to economic vitality and to a vibrant and ever-changing culture.”
Forum presenters include: CARECEN, Huntington Rapid Response Network, LI Immigrant Students Advocates, LI Jobs with Justice, NY Civil Liberties Union – Suffolk County, Rural Migrant Ministries and Yam Community Resources.