TARRYTOWN—To confront the issues arising from surging immigrant populations in the Westchester County region, the Fordham College of Liberal Studies is hosting a conference titled “New Neighbors: Hispanic Migration and Immigration to Westchester County” on Saturday, March 11, in Rita Hall on the Marymount campus.
The conference will explore the causes for the recent surge in migration and immigration from Mexico and Latin America, the demographics of immigrant communities in Westchester and pending federal immigration legislation. There will also be presentations on immigrant workers and the efforts of local community organizations to address the needs of day laborers and others. The conference is co-sponsored by the College of Liberal Studies and Rural & Migrant Ministry, a non-profit organization that works to improve the living and working conditions of rural & migrant peoples of New York State.
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a candidate for the democratic nomination in the race for governor of New York State, will be participating in the afternoon session on immigrant workers. The Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., Bishop of Brooklyn-Queens and a member of the United Nations Global Commission on International Migration, will deliver the keynote address at 3 p.m.
DATE: SATURDAY, MARCH 11
TIME: 10:30 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M.
PLACE: RITA HALL
MARYMOUNT CAMPUS, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
100 MARYMOUNT AVE.
TARRYTOWN, NY
Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to approximately 15,800 students in its five undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx, Manhattan and Tarrytown, and the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y.
New Neighbors: Conference on Hispanic Migration and Immigration to Westchester County
Saturday, March 11, 2006
10:30 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.
Rita Hall, Marymount Campus
Fordham College of Liberal Studies
Tarrytown, New York
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Registration: Main Lobby of Rita Hall
10:30 a.m.
Welcoming Remarks (PepsiCo Concert Hall):
Patrick Holt, Associate Dean, College of Liberal Studies, Fordham University
Rev. Richard Witt, Executive Director, Rural & Migrant Ministry
10:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Understanding Migration and Immigration and the Need for Immigration Reform
Rev. Richard Ryscavage, S.J., Ph.D., Director, Center for Faith and Public Life, Fairfield University
Demographics of the New Suburbia
Penny Liberatos, Assistant Professor of Practice and Project Director, Immigrant Project, New York Medical College School of Public Health
The Effect of National Policies on Westchester’s Immigrants
Ariadne Renteria-Torres, Esq., Westchester Hispanic Coalition
The Current Status of Immigration Legislation
Raluca Oncioiu, Esq., Director of Immigration Services, Catholic Charities
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Luncheon Presentation
The Youth Are Our Future – Mentoring Programs and Youth Empowerment
The Mentors of Club Amigas
The Youth Arts Group of Rural and Migrant Ministry
1:00 p.m.
Immigrant Workers
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, candidate for Democratic nomination for governor of New York
Tricia Kakalec, Esq., Executive Director, Workers Rights Law Center
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon Workshops
Workshop #1
Daily Challenges Our New Neighbors Face
Martha Lopez Hanratty, Westchester County Office of Hispanic Affairs
Sr. Susan Gargella, RSHM Life Center
Sr. Roselle Santivasi, Cabrini Immigrant Services
Martha Anderson, Esq., Westchester County Office for Women
Workshop #2
Helping Neighbors in Need
Pastor Paul Alcorn, Bedford Presbyterian Church
Ann Spaeth, Community Council of Portchester
Anne Seligsohn, Westchester Residential Opportunities
Dennis McDermott, J.P. Morgan Chase
3 p.m.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
Most. Rev. Nicholas A. DiMarzio, D.D., Ph.D., bishop, Brooklyn-Queens Diocese
“Challenges for The Future/ Theological Perspectives”
