7 p.m., Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business
Free

As the recession took hold and unemployment rose, immigration roared back to become one of America's most contentious issues today. Its' complex history and current, challenging policies will be discussed by a panel of experts from Fairfield University, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the International Institute of Connecticut at a Fairfield event on Wednesday, November 14, at 7 p.m.

Free and open to the public, the discussion - " Emancipation Proclamation Revisited: Immigration Today" - is a joint presentation of Fairfield University's Center for Faith and Public Life and the Fairfield Museum and History Center. It will be held in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business Dining Room.

The event relates to the Fairfield Museum's current exhibition: "Promise of Freedom: 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation." "The Emancipation Proclamation moved the United States closer to its ideals of freedom and inclusive citizenship," said Michael A. Jehle, executive director of the Fairfield Museum and History Center. "As we commemorate that historical event, it's important to ask how our current debates about immigration echo some of the same questions about what it means to be an American."

Moderator and panelist Rev. Richard Ryscavage, S.J., is professor of sociology and director of the Center for Faith and Public Life, which is overseeing two major projects concerning immigration issues. "This event will touch upon how immigration policy reform in America has virtually come to a standstill," said Fr. Ryscavage, who served as national director of the Jesuit Refugee Service USA.

The panelists also include:

• Kelly Ryan, deputy assistant secretary of Immigration and Border Security in the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Policy
• Angela Rossi Zurowski, executive director, International Institute of Connecticut
• Cecelia Bucki, Ph.D., professor of history, Fairfield University

On the agenda is a discussion of issues of human trafficking and modern slavery, which intersect with immigration policy. The forum also will include a historical perspective on U.S. immigration in the 18th and 19th centuries, the current immigration policies, and a look forward to the challenges ahead.

For more information about the Center for Faith and Public Life, visit http://www.fairfield.edu/cfpl/ . For more information about Fairfield, and for directions to campus, visit www.fairfield.edu .

Images are from Fairfield Museum and History Center emancipation proclamation exhibit.

Posted On: 10-26-2012 11:10 AM

Volume: 45 Number: 97