Cabrini College aims to educate the community about important social issues and help students become informed citizens. Upcoming speakers Cardinal Roger Mahony and author Sonia Nazario are encouraging students to become aware of the harsh circumstances immigrants are faced with every day. Both speakers are advocates for immigration reform and will thoroughly discuss the issues at hand.
Each year incoming freshmen read a selected book over the summer to help prepare them for the exciting, new chapter in their life – college. This year’s summer reading was “Enrique’s Journey” by the award-winning journalist, Sonia Nazario. She will be on campus Thursday, Sept. 13, to reflect on and discuss the journey that so many people must make in order to come to the United States.
Nazario will speak about her three-month journey she undertook to write the book. There will be a photographic timeline of the research she did with her narrating her experience on top of freight trains through Mexico. The determination she saw from the migrants completely changed her perception of immigration from a political scale. She will have an open discussion about the limitation of current immigration proposals.
The book reveals a story about a young Honduran boy, Enrique, who dangerously travels to the United States to reunite with his mother. Lourdes, Enrique’s mother, travels to America in order to keep her son educated and food on the table. After 11 years apart Enrique has grown lonely and decided to bravely go and find her. With no money or food he travels illegally up Mexico and clings on the tops and sides of freight trains.
This timeless story can help people become aware of the struggle migrants experience all of the time. Nazario will help educate students on these important issues through this presentation and show them how to get involved.
Cabrini College will also welcome Cardinal Mahony to speak on campus about the immigration policy reform in the United States. Mahony has retired from being Archbishop of Los Angeles in 2011 and has been devoted to inform students, faculty, staff and the general public about the millions of immigrants that are not legal in the United States.
He has been actively involved by visiting different campuses to inspire others help give immigrants a chance at citizenship. He also has a blog where he updates his followers on immigration and reflects on what can be done to make a change.
He will speak on campus Friday, Sept. 14, at 11:05 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Grace Hall Atrium.
