- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock, community partners to host six-week film, discussion series on immigration in America

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 17:39:13 +0000

A $1,300 grant from the National Endowment for Humanities��brings the immigration program series,��to Little Rock.��The grant was awarded to��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Ottenheimer Library and Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, as well as the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), El Zocalo, and Philander Smith College. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is one of only 32 cultural and educational institutions in the U.S. selected to participate in the “Becoming American” series, a project by Cite Lore in collaboration with the Immigration and Ethnic History Society and the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. The series events, which are free and open to the public, will feature documentary film screenings and scholar-led discussions designed to encourage an informed discussion of immigration issues against the backdrop of our immigration history. The discussion will include topics like immigration and work, the history of immigration in American, prejudice against immigrants, and immigration in popular culture. Events include the following:

��Thursday, March 7, 6 p.m. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown. “The Century of Immigration: 1820-1934” chronicles the period when 40 million immigrants entered the U.S., making immigration a major and defining aspect of American life. Film excerpts from “New York: A Documentary Film” and “The Jewish Americans” followed by a discussion led by Marta Cieslak, assistant professor of history.
��Thursday, March 14, 5:30 p.m. CALS Williams Library. “Between Two Worlds: Identity and Acculturation” looks at how immigrants react and adjust to living in a new country and culture, and how they bridge the divide between the traditions and values of their native countries. Film excerpts from “The New Americans” followed by a discussion by Neveen Shafeek Amin, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology.
��Saturday, March 23, 3 p.m. CALS Dee Brown Library. “Family and Community” explores how family ties and community institutions have played an essential role in successful migration and adaptation to American life. Film excerpts from “My American Girls” followed by a discussion led by Adriana Lopez-Ramirez, assistant professor of sociology.
��Tuesday, March 26, 5:30 p.m. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Ottenheimer Library Room 535. “Promise and Prejudice” explores the tension – historic and current – between Americans’ acceptance of immigrants, including the celebration of their own immigrant heritage, versus the periodic backlash prompted by concern about the economic and cultural effects of newcomers. Film excerpts from “Welcome to Shelbyville” followed by a discussion led by Brian Mitchell, assistant professor of history.
��Thursday, April 11, 6 p.m. CALS Nixon Library. “Help Wanted? Immigration and Work” looks at the economic side of immigration, chronicling the essential part immigrant labor has played in building America, as well as the conflicted relationship American workers have had with immigrants. Film excerpt of “Destination America” followed by a discussion led by Brian Mitchell, assistant professor of history.
�� Tuesday, April 16, 7 p.m. CALS Ron Robinson Theater. “Immigration and Popular Culture” examines the ways the media and popular culture have historically taught newcomers how to “be American,” and how the rich contributions of different immigrant groups have transformed American culture and art. Film excerpt of “The Search for General Tso” by Ian Cheney followed by a discussion led by Andrew Amstutz, assistant professor of history.

Evenings with History Lecture to examine transforming roles of European immigrant women in America

Thu, 01 Nov 2018 17:50:47 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s next Evenings with History lecture will discuss the unique experiences of women from rural Europe who immigrated en masse to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the lives that they built in urban America. Dr. Marta Cieslak, professor of history at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, will present “From ‘the Inevitable Cabbage’ to ‘American Vegetables,’ or How Rural European Women Became Urban American Housewives” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5 at the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E 3rd St. in Little Rock. Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. “Between the 1870s and 1914, over eighteen million Europeans arrived in the United States. Most of them came from rural areas and settled in rapidly growing American cities where they faced multiple challenges of the urban life,” Cieslak said. “This talk examines the unique transatlantic experience of rural women migrants from East-Central Europe. It explores what kind of lives they left behind in their European villages and what kind of lives they built in their new and often unwelcoming American home.” Cieslak is a native of Poland and is a specialist in European, world, and women’s history with a focus on transnational migration, nationalism, rural and urban poverty, and progressive reform movements. She is the recipient of the 2017 Swastek Prize, awarded yearly by the editorial board of Polish American Studies for the best article published in that year. The Evenings with History series, sponsored by the University History Institute, features presentations by ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty members sharing their current research. Admission to the series is by subscription to the University History Institute, although visitors to individual talks are welcome to attend for free. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students may attend free of charge.

Bowen Law student interns with Commission on Immigration

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:52:34 +0000

Salina Adolph, a concurrent student with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and the, completed an international public service project with the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration in Washington, D.C.�� Over the summer, Adolph worked to create a comprehensive report of resources and support for immigrants in the United States who are victims of the unauthorized practice of immigration law, also known as immigration consultant fraud. This project will begin the process of providing national coordination for immigration lawyers and advocates who seek to assist immigrants who are victims of immigration consultant fraud. “Prior to this project, I knew almost nothing about immigration consultant fraud,” Adolph said. “Through this project, I’ve been able to see that this is a widespread and complex issue. Many people who immigrate to this country are already in vulnerable positions. They have to adjust to the new culture, legal system, education system, and language in a country that is increasingly and openly anti-immigrant.” Unfortunately, immigrants who seek legal assistance are vulnerable to fraudulent consultants. �� “This is where unauthorized, unscrupulous entities slide into the picture and commit immigration consultant fraud. Many times, people from the same ethnic communities as the individuals who are seeking legal immigration advice will offer legal immigrants advice to immigrants at much cheaper rates than attorneys, though they are not attorneys or Department of Justice-accredited representatives,” Adolph said. “Because they do not have the proper training or knowledge of immigration law, they often permanently damage their clients’ immigration cases – and in current times, the smallest mistake on a person’s immigration forms could land them in deportation proceedings.” To create this report, Adolph spoke with immigration service providers across the country about their professional opinions of immigration consultant fraud in their geographical areas and what services, if any, are available to combat immigration consultant fraud. Adolph is thankful to the members of the Commission on Immigration for expanding her knowledge and experience in immigration law. “I’ve had such a great experience here almost entirely because of my incredible supervisor, Tanisha Bowens-McCatty, and the other great staff at the Commission on Immigration,” she said. “They have taken so much time to teach me about immigration policies and how to be a thoughtful, compassionate, and excellent professional. I feel very lucky to have worked under such brilliant and kind people.” Adolph is currently working with the American Bar Association to complete her report. After her experience with the Commission on Immigration, Adolph is more committed than ever to a future in immigration law. For her capstone project, she plans to work with Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy John DiPippa to assess the legal needs of immigrants in central Arkansas. “I knew I wanted to work in immigration law before my internship. I was already interested because I clerked at an immigration firm in Little Rock that provides deportation defense,” Adolph said. “I knew I was interested, but this really piqued my interest even more. This summer, I talked to many immigration service providers who fiercely care about upholding the due process rights of immigrants in this country, I learned so much more about immigration law and policies, and I met with detained individuals who are most directly impacted by changing immigration policies and laws. My experiences have re-invigorated an urgency in me to empower immigrants through the law. This is absolutely what I want to do.”

Second Plain Talk on Race and Ethnicity lecture will cover immigration

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 13:52:49 +0000

Dr. Warigia Bowman, assistant professor of public policy at the Clinton School of Public Service, will deliver a lecture on rhetoric and legislation concerning immigration on May 1. The talk, “A Dream, a Wall, and a Shutdown: Rhetoric and Legislation in the Immigration Arena,” will begin at 3 p.m. at the Anderson Institute in Suite 202 in Ottenheimer Library at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The talk is the second lecture in the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity’s new lecture series, “Plain Talk on Race and Ethnicity.” Bowman’s principal research interests include race and poverty, food security, the Hispanic community in Arkansas, and the politics of the Mississippi Delta. She is also an associate faculty member of the Anderson Institute. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tamisha Cheatham, program coordinator at the Anderson Institute, at 501-569-8932 or tmcheatham@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student fulfills dream of becoming U.S. citizen

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 20:53:43 +0000

Sunny Harshdeep’s first memory of moving to Arkansas from India is getting a giant soda at Subway.�� “I remember the first time I came here I was pretty sleepy,” Harshdeep said. “It was a long trip from India. The first thing I remember is going to Subway and getting one of those humongous cups of soda. I have never seen a cup that big, only in America. Everything in America was bigger in general.” Harshdeep, a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, immigrated to America with his mother and younger sister in 2009, when Harshdeep was 12. Now Harshdeep is celebrating another milestone in his life. He and his entire family have recently been naturalized as United States citizens. Harshdeep and his mother took the oath of citizenship Sept. 20 at the Little Rock District Court with U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, in attendance, while his father and sister became citizens in August. “It felt good to realize I was a U.S. citizen,” he said. “It opens me up to a lot of opportunities I didn’t have. I can finally vote. I can also run for office one day if I choose to pursue that path.” His family’s journey to become citizens has taken eight years. After five years as permanent residents, they applied to become citizens. The application process involved background checks, interviews, and written and oral tests, all to make sure that Harshdeep’s family had fully integrated into American society. Although Harshdeep and his family gave up citizenship to their native country of India, Harshdeep thinks the sacrifice was worth it to become a U.S. citizen. The family is also applying for lifetime visas to India, which would allow them to travel more freely between the U.S. and India. “This is where our lives have been for the past eight years,” he said. “This is where I see my future. We have the most freedom and opportunity to succeed. I love it.”

Coming to America

They left their hometown in India, Anjar, and followed Harshdeep’s father, Inderjeet Singh, who came to work at a new manufacturing plant in Little Rock set up by his company, . “That company is always expanding,” he said. “One branch is pipe manufacturing for the gas and oil industry. They wanted to expand to the United States, and they chose Little Rock because it’s almost in the middle of the country, and they can transport their pipes to anywhere in the country.” Harshdeep came to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a plan to major in mechanical engineering and minor in information technology. He is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, a student ambassador for the College of Engineering and Information Technology, and a resident assistant. After graduation, he had planned to start his own research and development company focusing on robotics. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock offers one of the finest programs in the country, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to attend the only college in the state which offers an engineering technology program.” Things changed after Harshdeep completed a one-year internship as a data verification intern at in Little Rock. “I got a taste of the technology field and what it has to offer,” he said. “I enjoyed that environment a lot, which is why I am starting to pursue web design and development as my main career.” Now Harshdeep is planning to work in the tech industry after he graduates in 2020 and is earning an associate degree in mechanical engineering to keep his skills sharp. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has been awesome,” he said. “I am trying out a lot of new things, and it has given me a lot of chances to grow. It’s always welcoming and gives opportunities to students who show they are willing to put in the effort.”

��Vlog��ýLR’s Racial Attitudes Conference will focus on immigration

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 16:01:02 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Institute on Race and Ethnicity will host the 2016 Racial Attitudes in Pulaski County Conference on Wednesday, April 13. This year’s conference, which will feature a panel discussion and community forum, will focus on immigration. The conference will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, with a continental breakfast beginning at 8:15 a.m. “Arkansas’s Latino population has grown rapidly in recent years. Now seems a good time to focus on the impact of immigration into Pulaski County both from the perspective of the issues that Latinos face and from the perspective of other sections of the community,” said Dr. John Kirk, director of the Institute on Race and Ethnicity. Immigration experts will discuss attitudes about immigration. Panel members include:

��Dr. Andre Guerrero, president of the Little Rock chapter of League of United Latin American Citizens
��Mireya Reith, co-founder and executive director of Arkansas United Community Coalition
��Dr. Leslie Purdy-Hoyt, director of Hall High School Programs for Immigrant Students
��Maricella Garcia, director of Catholic Immigration Services in Little Rock

“The racial attitudes survey will provide a lively platform for discussion to further explore the issues it raises at the conference,” Kirk said. “We have an outstanding panel of commentators who are able to contextualize and explain the issues raised from a variety of perspectives.” The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tamisha Cheatham at 501.569.8932 or tmcheatham@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo, panel members Keesa Smith, Paul Kelly, Julie Hall, and David Briscoe discuss community perceptions at the 2015 Racial Attitudes in Pulaski County Conference at ��Vlog��ýLR.��

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock, community partners to host six-week film, discussion series on immigration in America