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Public Debate:
Who Gets a Voice? Immigrants
and Civic Engagement
Demos and the World Policy Institute
are pleased to present a panel discussion and reception:
The promise of American democracy is that all members of our
society should have a voice in the decisions that govern their
lives. Yet today, record immigration has created a population where
nearly 20 million adults in the United States cannot vote. More than
half of this group – or an estimated 12 million people – do not even
have legal authorization to live and work in the United States.
Beyond this, immigrants often stand apart from the communities in
which they live and experience social exclusion.
To some, immigrant civic exclusion and a growing “representation
gap” constitute a crisis of American democracy and has profoundly
negative economic and social consequences for immigrant communities,
as well as for the broader cohesion of U.S. society. In this view,
urgent action is needed to grant immigrants greater political rights
and ensure their access to economic and social protections. To
others, immigrant civic exclusion is not a crisis because the
process of incorporating immigrants into American life is ongoing
and organic, and we shouldn’t rush this process by prematurely
granting rights and protections to millions of recent immigrants.
Still others argue that formal political rights like voting may
matter less than a broad range of practices for increasing civic
engagement among immigrants and speeding up their integration into
U.S. society.
Discussants:
·
Maria Teresa Petersen,
Voto Latino
·
Tamar Jacoby,
Immigration Works USA
·
Gara Lamarche, Atlantic
Philanthropies
·
Hiroshi Motomura,
UCLA and Author of Americans in Waiting
Moderator: Michele
Wucker, World Policy Institute
and author of Lockout
When:
June 30, 2009
6:00-8:30 pm
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Discussion
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm Cocktail
Reception
6:15: Welcoming Remarks
Miles Rapoport, Demos
6:30: Panel Discussion
7:30: Cocktail Reception
Where:
Baruch College – Newman Conference
Center
151 E. 25th St, 7th Floor, New York, NY
Cost and
RSVP:
This event is free and open to the
public but seating is limited. Please RSVP by June 29 to secure your
seat and help us to minimize waste when we order refreshments.
events@worldpolicy.org
or
212-481-5005 x465
Sponsored by:
Demos and the World Policy Institute
are grateful to the McCormick Foundation for their generous support
of this event.
  
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