The University of Memphis has been hosting events to celebrate Women’s History Month throughout March, and their next event will recognize immigrant women and their stories.
“Immigrant Journeys: America’s Story” will be a panel event March 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Rose Theatre. The panel will feature three immigrant women who will tell their personal journeys and will then expand the discussion to the audience. Attendees will be able to ask questions and share their stories. Rebecca Laumann, interim executive director for the Center for International Education Services, Natalia Powers, the director of communications for Shelby County Schools and Gabriela Salinas, a graduate research assistant at the University of Kentucky, will be the three panelists.
Equity Specialist Phuong Nguyen from the U of M Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) said the forum will be an event for U of M students, staff, faculty and the general Memphis community to share their stories about how they came to the United States.
“The panel discussion is really there to highlight the stories of immigrant women on campus and beyond,” Nguyen said. “We really want to emphasize the story of America as being a nation of immigrants.”
OIE interviewed students, faculty and staff on their personal stories in a video they will also show at the event.
Attendees can join the Women’s History Month march that will take place after the panel. The march will be a 15-20 minute-long route on campus and will end with a vigil in the Student Activities Plaza for the immigrant journeys. Powers will lead the vigil.
“So when we talk about women and we talk about immigrants, we’re really talking about the people who make up who we are and who make up our community,” Nguyen said. “We hope we can increase the visibility of students on campus who are immigrants and really celebrate their triumphs, celebrate their stories and bring to life what inclusion means on campus.”
The office partnered with Tigers First and Opportunity Scholars for the event. Opportunity Scholars will have a banner-making session before the panel. The banner will be used in the march later that night.
Monica Casarin, an Opportunity Scholar who is leading the session, said the banners will have words of encouragement and support for immigrant women and immigrants in general to show the organization’s gratitude for their achievements in the community and the U.S.
“Recognizing an immigrant woman is very important because usually the woman in an immigrant family is the healer, the caregiver, the nurturer and the hard worker, of course, but who’s there to ever see the resilience and strength they have?” Casarin said. “In correspondence to Women’s History Month, we want to thank the multiple immigrant women on their consistent drive that many don’t recognize or see.”
