Date(s) - 06/07/2019
6:45 pm - 8:15 pm
Location
Sanctuary
Categories
From Mexican to Mexican-American: A Family Immigration Story
As immigration has become more hotly debated in the United States, the arguments have become cartoonish, with one side often painted as naïve and another as xenophobic. What has become lost is the human story of immigration to America, with all its complexity, heartache, and hope.
Professor Carlos Gil sought to understand immigration by tracing his family’s history from the 1920s to the 1970s. In the process, he discovered the excitement, culture shock, inter-family conflict, and questions of identity that many immigrants face when seeking a better life in another country. Based on his book, “We Became Mexican-American: How Our Immigrant Family Survived to Pursue the American Dream,” this talk explores Mexican immigration by spotlighting his own family’s experience in southern California, including parallels with Washington State.
Carlos Gil is an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Washington, where he has taught the history of Latin America for over thirty years. He has previously toured the state offering a public lecture entitled, “The Hispanization of the United States.”
This presentation is part of Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau program, in which cultural experts discuss history, politics, music, philosophy, and everything in between at venues around the state. Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state.
SpiritUUality Cafe – Intriguing presentations and meaningful conversations on First Fridays in the Sanctuary through June 2019
