A new grant received by a team of Fordham professors will be used to engage students, faculty, and staff in the urgent challenges created by global migration.
The $670,000 grant from the Massachusetts-based Cummings Foundation will fund Fordham’s Initiative on Migrants, Migration, and Human Dignity, which was created as a pilot program in 2022 with a $200,000 grant from Cummings.
The professors hope to cultivate a new generation of student leaders interested in working with migrants with the new grant, which was received this month and covers a period of three years. It will be used to fund opportunities for students, faculty, and staff in the practice of accompaniment with migrant communities—at the Mexico-U.S. border, in the New York metropolitan area, and at Fordham itself.
Students and staff will participate in immersive workshops on current immigration issues; trips to the U.S./Mexico border; and internships with organizations like the binational Catholic organization Kino Border Initiative, a Jesuit organization; the Harlem-based LSA (Little Sisters of the Assumption) Family Health Service, and the Center for Migration Studies.
Bringing Student Advocates Together
Carey Kasten, Ph.D., a professor of Spanish who is one of the faculty members spearheading the initiative, said a big focus will be on making it easier for students with shared interests in immigration to work together.
“We want to create a mechanism that will bring these students together in dialogue to share what they’ve learned, gain more knowledge, and figure out what they want to do in the advocacy space with their ideas.”
As President Donald Trump takes steps to deport undocumented migrants, Kasten said the need for this work remains critical. Migrant communities will still need services such as know-your-rights workshops and help securing shelter, food, and medicine— services that the initiative’s partner organizations provide.
Immigrants also bring talents and skills, not just needs, said political science professor Sarah Lockhart, one of the faculty members involved in the project. “So the initiative emphasizes the importance of Fordham community members walking with them through challenges and triumphs and learning from each other,” she said, noting that this involves building sustainable relationships with immigrant communities that will last for years to come.
“We all know that this work isn’t going to go away. The issues aren’t going to go away; it’s just the demands that shift and change,” Kasten said.
Faculty from Many Disciplines
One reflection of the group’s ambitions is the expansion of its leadership. When the group first formed in 2022, Kasten was joined by theology professors Leo Guardado and Jim McCartin. The group now includes professors from the fields of communications (Gregory Donovan), political science (Annika Hinze and Lockart), and natural science (Alma Rodenas-Ruano).
The interdisciplinary nature of the initiative is what drew Rodenas-Ruano to join.
“Everyone has a unique perspective that adds to and enriches accompaniment,” she said. “The idea is to have students who have different majors and different experiences contribute in a way that is more holistic.”
The organizers are hopeful that the initiative will serve as a model in migration accompaniment for Jesuit institutions across the United States. The group currently collaborates with the Ignatian Solidarity Network and Jesuit Refugee Service.
“Standing in solidarity with people is a deep part of the Jesuit mission,” Kasten said.
