A lunch conversation with immigration activists and Elvira Arellano by phone

CHICAGO – On Wednesday, April 11 at 12 p.m. at Jane Addams Hull-House Museum (800 S. Halsted, Residents’ Dining Hall), join outspoken immigration activist Emma Lozano, President of Centro Sin Fronteras; Reverend Walter L. Coleman of Adalberto United Methodist Church, where Elvira Arellano took sanctuary on August 15, 2006; Alie Kabba of United African Organization Inc.; and Young Son Song of the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center. Elvira Arellano will take part in the conversation via phone.

This event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be served. Seating is limited. Registration required by phone, please call 312.413.5353.

Elvira Arellano is a 31-year-old single mother, former airport worker, and undocumented immigrant who took sanctuary last August at Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago. Arellano was arrested in 2002 as part of a post-9/11 sweep of airport workers with unregistered social security numbers. At that time she refused voluntary deportation and won a stay of deportation through private bills introduced in Congress on her behalf. During the next four years she emerged as a leader in the struggle for undocumented immigrants’ rights by calling for a moratorium on raids and deportations, meeting with U.S. Congressmen and Senators in Washington, and co-founding (with Emma Lozano) La Familia Latina Unida, an organization of families with U.S. citizen children facing separation from undocumented parents. Arellano entered sanctuary with her son Saul, a U.S. citizen, after the Department of Homeland Security refused her stay of deportation in August 2006.

ABOUT THE PUBLIC SQUARE AT THE ILLINOIS HUMANITIES COUNCIL

The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC)fosters debate, dialogue, and exchange of ideas about cultural, social and political issues with an emphasis on social justice. Programs promote participatory democracy by creating space for public conversations. Knowledge is power, yet much crucial knowledge still circulates only in small, isolated communities. The Public Square at the IHC builds bridges between theory and practice in order to empower individuals to use ideas as tools to improve their lives.

This event is part of The Public Square at the IHC’s Artists, Authors and Activists After Hours (AAAH) series. AAAH events are intimate, informal discussions over meals that allow for meaningful exchanges among people who share some connection to the work of a visiting artist, author or activist. Since coalition building is one of the cornerstones of social change, AAAH programs are structured to give individuals a chance to meet others engaged in similar struggles and projects. More information about The Public Square at the IHC is available at www.thepublicsquare.org.

The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Through its programs and grants, the IHC promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. Organized as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, the IHC is now a private nonprofit (501 [c] 3) organization that is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; by the Illinois General Assembly; and by the NEH.

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