Conference on Immigration in the Southeast:

Defining Problems, Finding Solutions

Oct 28-30, 2010

KSU Center

Kennesaw State University

Proposals due July 21, 2010

Call for Papers

Kennesaw State University calls for academic papers and poster presentations for a multidisciplinary conference on immigration to Georgia and the Southeast.  Papers or posters should promote an understanding of the problems associated with immigration, with an emphasis on finding practical and realistic solutions that promote economic growth and social strength for the Southeast. All paper presentations should be in English; posters may be presented in English or Spanish.  Conference papers will be considered for publication.  

For proposals please send a single-page electronic abstract including institutional affiliation and contact information to Dr. Alan LeBaron, at alebaron@kennesaw.edu or Dr. Elaine Levine, at elaine@servidor.unam.mx. The Conference is sponsored by the Kennesaw State University Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies and the Center for Sustainable Journalism; the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies at the University of South Carolina; and the Centro de Investigaciones Sobre America del Norte of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico. Updated information to be posted at:  http://www.kennesaw.edu/burruss_inst/SE-Conference/

Previous Events

Thursday, March 26, 2009. The Coalition for New South Carolinians and the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies sponsored a lecture, film screening, and panel discussion as part of a series entitled "Storytellers: Putting a Face on Immigration."  Thank you to the Coalition for New South Carolinians, speaker Maria Blizzard, and panel members Tammy Besherse, Amy Shelley, and Kelsey Lewis.

Friday, February 20, 2009. The Consortium hosted a free, one-day seminar that provided specialized training to Latino Community Leaders on various traffic safety topics.  Topics covered included an overview of the Latino community’s involvement in South Carolina traffic crashes, including the causes of these crashes and when and where they are occurring.  Other seminar topics included pedestrian safety, the proper use of safety belts and child passenger safety seats, the state’s new DUI law, and how to “read the road” – the meanings of various signs and pavement markings. 

Thank you to all who donated to the Consortium's Adopt-a-Family Christmas project.  We were able to adopt five local Latino families in need and provide them with gifts for Christmas!

Thank you to Van Jean Clothing Store on Devine for donating winter coats to the Consortium to disperse to those in need this winter!

November 18, 2008.  Guest Speaker, Tammy Besherse of the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, presented a discussion on: "Life as a Latino in SC: The Impact of the New Immigration Law and the Threat of ICE Raids."  Details.

November 5, 2008.  The University of South Carolina hosted the college version of the off-broadway play "Yo Soy Latina," written by Linda Nieves-Powell, directed by Mercedes Vasquez, and starring Nicole Anderson Guerra, Antonia Marrero, and Crystal Roman.  The play, which was co-sponsored by various university departments including the Consortium, was attended by students, staff, and community members. Details.

October 16, 2008. Painter, illustrator, and muralist Ernesto Cuevas presented "Immigration Seen through the Lens of a Latino Artist." Details.

September 15-October 15, 2008.  Hispanic Heritage Month

September 4, 2008.  Guest Speaker, Tammy Besherse from the South Carolina Appleseed Justice Center, presented: "South Carolina Immigration Law and Possible Consequences" at USC.  Details.

June 27, 2008.  Guest Speaker, Javier Serrano, presented: "The Mexican Dream: Hope and Relative Deprivation in International Migration" at USC.  Details.

May 12 - 31, 2008.  "Mexican Immigration and Health"  Honors College Travel Course in Mexico.  Details.

April 26, 2008.  USC's 1st Annual Celebration of Children's Literature.  Details.

The Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, along with cosponsors from the University of Georgia and Kennesaw State University sponsored a conference on Latino immigration to New Settlement Areas.  The conference was held October 11-13, 2007 on the University of South Carolina campus.

The Consortium received a grant from the Southern Arts Federation to host the son jarocho group Siquisiri, from Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, Mexico.  The group performed at the Recital Hall at USC’s School of Music on May 3, 2007.  The group’s manager, Rafael Figueroa, provided a short discussion of son jarocho music before Siquisiri performed.  The event was co-sponsored at USC by the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, Latin American Studies Program, School of Music, and Southern Arts Federation.

The Consortium sponsored a talk by Sergio Nieto-Montenegro, Ph.D. from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Clemson University on April 13, 2007.  His talk discussed "Dietary Intake, Obesity Prevalence, and Nutrition Education Needs Among Hispanics in South Carolina". 

The Consortium sponsored a panel discussion on Black-Latino Relations in South Carolina on March 22, 2007.  The panel included: Latasha High a social worker for Charleston County Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, and Alma Puente Ruiz a social worker with Richland District 2.  The panel was moderated by Dr. Kim Simmons, Department of Anthropology at USC.

The South Carolina Hispanic/Latino Health Coalition Annual Conference was held October 12 & 13, 2006.  The Conference theme was "Salud Hispana: Derechos y Responsabilidades" (Hispanic Health: Rights and Responsibilities).  The Event took place at the Columbia Conference Center.

On Friday April 21, 2006 at 3:30 pm the Consortium sponsored the viewing of a new documentary produced by SC ETV entitled "Nuestro Futuro."  The documentary highlights the issues and challenges faced by the children of Latino immigrants to South Carolina.  The event will take place in the Russell House theater.  The documentary has been shown on SCETV.

On Friday, April 7, 2006 Dr. Olivia Carter-Pokras of the University of Maryland offered a workshop on research projects related to Latino immigrant health. 

The Consortium sponsored a panel discussion on Latina women in South Carolina and the Southeast on Friday, March 17, 2006. The panel included Dr. De Anne Messias of USC's College of Nursing and Women's Studies Program, who spoke on theoretical models to facilitate understanding of the experiences of Latina women immigrants, and Dr. Elaine Lacy of USC Aiken, who reported on a project she and Dr. Suzanne Swan of USC's Department of Psychology are engaged in on Latina immigrant women in South Carolina. 

On Wednesday, February 22, 2006 Dr. Douglas P. Woodward presented a talk entitled "Mexican Immigrants: The New Face of South Carolina's Labor Force."  The talk was based on Dr. Woodward's report on the economic activities of the Mexican immigrant population, which was released on that day (see "Reports" on this web site).   

On October 11, 2005 the Consortium sponsored a panel that included three local Latinos.  The panelists spoke on "Transitions: Latino Perspectives on Settling in South Carolina."

On September 29, 2005 the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies and the Department of Anthropology co-sponsored a panel discussion entitled “Transnational Bordercrossings: Anthropological Approaches to Latinos in the Diaspora”

On May 20, 2005 the School of Library and Information Science hosted a free conference for librarians, literacy groups, and advocates for the Spanish-speaking community: "Collaboration and Cooperation: Libraries and the Spanish-Speaking Community" co-sponsored by Psaras, Bell South, CMCIS, ICAP, the SC Hispanic Leadership Council, the Richard Temple Fund, and the Consortium.

On April 22, 2005, Mary Odem, Ph.D, Associate Professor of History at Emory University, gave a talk entitled "Global Lives, Local Struggles: Latino Immigrants in the New South." Co-sponsored by the History Department, Women's Studies, and the Latin American Studies Program.

On April 7, 2005  the Consortium sponsored a talk by Rodolfo de la Garza, Ph.D, Vice President of the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, entitled "The Political Incorporation of Latinos in Contemporary America." Co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, The CIBER Center, the Latin American Studies Program and The Institute for Public Service and Policy Research.

On March 23, 2005 Dr. José Rivera, M.D., a physician in Orangeburg County, SC, gave a talk entitled: "Migrant Health a South Carolina Perspective" Sponsored by the Consortium.

On March 3, 2005 the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill hosted an interdisciplinary conference on migration issues entitled "Navigating the Globalization of the American South."

The Department of Sociology presented a talk on February 25 by  Amy Lutz, Ph.D, on "Bilingual Proficiencies and Educational Outcomes of Latino Youth."

The Departments of Anthropology and The Latin American Studies Program co-sponsored a talk by Arthur Murphy, Ph.D, a professor of Anthropology at UNC Greensboro. Dr. Murphy spoke on "Mexican Workers and their Families in the New South" on March 2.

The USC Women's Studies Program sponsored a lecture in its Research Series on November 17. Elaine C. Lacy,  Director of the  Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies presented a talk entitled "A Foot in Two Worlds: Mexican Immigrant Women in South Carolina."

The Consortium on Latino Immigration Studies presented a workshop on Latino women in the Southeast on November 12.  The workshop was conducted by Dr. Marcela Mendoza of the University of Memphis, who has published widely on Latinas in the Memphis area.  Dr. Mendoza’s visit was co-sponsored by the Latin American Studies Program and Women’s Studies.

The Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies presented the first speaker in the 2004-05 Consortium Speaker’s Series, Dr. Raymond Mohl of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, October 28.  Dr. Mohl, who has published several articles on the history of Latino migration to the South, spoke on race and ethnic relations between Blacks and Latinos in the south.  Dr. Mohl’s visit was co-sponsored by the Latin American Studies Program and the Department of History at USC.

The Sixth Annual Hispanic Health Issues Conference, sponsored by the South Carolina Hispanic/Latino Health Coalition, took place October 14 & 15, 2004.  The conference theme was "Promoting Family Health among Latino Immigrants/Promoviendo la Salud Familiar de los Inmigrantes Latinos."