Since 1990, the United States has experienced one of the greatest influxes of immigrants in our nation’s history. But, unlike past periods when most of those arriving originated in Europe, today’s new immigrants come disproportionately from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. To understand how race is implicated in the current debate over immigration policy, a consortium of institutions has organized “Race and Immigration: Challenges and Opportunities for the New American Majority,” to be held Sat., Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at El Museo del Barrio (1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street; Subway Line: 6 [103rd St.]). For more information, the public may call 212.998.5547 or e-mail tc52@nyu.edu. A complete conference schedule is available at: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/igems/IGEMS.html
The conference will explore three primary themes: the dynamics of minority race relations (particularly the tensions and potential for unity between African Americans and Latinos); the ways in which immigration is changing the composition of Black and Latino populations and subsequently redefining what it means to be Black and/or Latino in the U.S.; and the social and political implications of the demographic shift that is occurring as the majority of the American population becomes non-White. Participants include the following: U.S. Representatives Gregory Meeks and Charles Rangel; National Public Radio reporter Manadalit del Barco; PBS’s Maria Hinojosa; University of Chicago sociologist Saskia Sassen; University of North Carolina economist William Darity; and New York University Professors Juan Flores, Pedro Noguera and Marcelo Suarez-Orozco.
The event’s co-sponsors are the following: The Institute for Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings at New York University; the Afro-Latino Project at Queens College-CUNY (with support from the Ford Foundation); Harvard University’s W. E. B DuBois Institute for African and African-American Research; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture-New York Public Library; and El Museo del Barrio.
Reporters interested in attending the conference must contact James Devitt, NYU’s Office of Public Affairs, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu.