Who Gets a Voice? Immigrants and Civic Inclusion

New York-- Twenty million immigrants in the United States cannot vote and more than half of these do not have legal authorization to live and work in the United States. How can these populations be engaged in civic life in a way that strengthens the social fabric of our country? How fast should America move to grant immigrants more political rights and social protections? What are the stakes for our democracy?

On June 30, 2009, Demos, a national, non-partisan public policy center, and the World Policy Institute, home of the World Policy Journal, for an evening discussion with a distinguished panel of experts to discuss these and other urgent questions. The event will examine critical issues related to immigrant inclusion in U.S. society, including discrimination, economic and political barriers to equality, and other factors that increase social exclusion and isolation from mainstream society. Panelists will discuss and debate the current state of citizenship and immigration, and offer insight for future steps to ensure that all groups and individuals are actively engaged in our democracy. The panel will be followed by a cocktail reception.

WHEN:
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 from 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Cocktail reception from 7:30 – 8:30 pm

WHERE:
Baruch Conference Center, Newman Conference Center, 151 E. 25th St., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10010

Speakers Include:

-Maria Teresa Petersen, Founding Executive Director of Voto Latino 
-Tamar Jacoby, President and CEO of Immigration Works USA 
-Gara LaMarche, President and CEO of Atlantic Philanthropes 
-Hiroshi Motomura, UCLA Professor of Law and Author of Americans in Waiting: The Lost Story of Immigration and Citizenship in the United States
-Michelle Wucker, (moderator) Executive Director of the World Policy Institute

Members of the Press:

If you would like to attend this event, please contact Tim Rusch or Gennady Kolker at Demos: press@demos.org or (212) 633-1405.