This community gathering highlights the value of meaningful conversation about immigration through the sharing of stories. Recent demographic changes in the Midwest present challenges and opportunities for all residents, and stories enable us to deepen our understanding of migrant experiences. The forum includes presentations by three speakers, followed by a moderated public discussion.

The event is free and open to the public. Three presenters will begin the discussion at 7:00 pm, including acclaimed Nigerian novelist and poet Chris Abani (Northwestern University); distinguished cultural geographer Garth Myers (Trinity College, CT); and nationally recognized expert on Latino/a migrant experiences Marta Caminero-Santangelo (University of Kansas).

The forum is a central component of a Kansas African Studies Center initiative funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities to facilitate the sharing of migration stories about Africans in local communities through public discussions, community programming, and the creation of educational resources. The Kansas African Studies Center is partnering with the Kansas Humanities Council and the Kansas City public radio station KCUR to sponsor radio shows, film and book discussions, and engaging talks that reveal the power of migration stories. See further details at http://migrationstories.ku.edu.

With close to 10,000 African immigrants living today in the heartland metropolitan centers of Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, Emporia, Wichita and Garden City, the project will offer extended and productive dialogue surrounding shifting demographics due to migration. Teleconferencing technology will connect an audience in Garden City, Kansas with the forum in Kansas City and enable dialogue between the two communities, both of which are hubs of recent resettlement for Africans in the Midwest.

The forum is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Kansas Humanities Council. External Event Url
Unity Temple on the Plaza
707 W 47th St, Kansas City, MO, United States