A year-long series of lectures and events on the theme of migration will begin Sept. 12 at Gettysburg College.  The series will combine the voices of the local migrant community, the power of visual imagery, and notable lecturers.  All events are free and open to the public. 

“We live in an increasingly interconnected world where the migration of people and ideas plays a pivotal role,” said Nathalie Lebon, a professor in Gettysburg College’s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program (WGS), which is one of the sponsors of the series. “Migration and immigration provide great opportunities for cross-cultural fertilization and innovation, but are also often a source of tensions and much suffering due to lack of understanding.”

Sept. 12’s kickoff lecture will feature University of California, Santa Cruz’s Prof. Patricia Zavella addressing “Gender, Migration, and Poverty: Mexicans’ Struggle in Daily Life.” It is set for 7 p.m. in Mara Auditorium in Masters Hall.  Zavella teaches Latin American and Latino studies.

The photo exhibit Retratos/Portraits will open in Gettysburg College’s Schmucker Art Gallery Oct. 10 with a reception at 6 p.m.  Members of the Adams County, Pa. Latino community took the photos from fall 2010 to the end of 2011.  Among guest speakers at the exhibit will be Meredith Rapkin, executive director of Friends of Farmworkers. 

“Through the images, we are trying to show moments in life that any person could share – the children waiting at the bus stop, the preschool graduation, religious traditions.  Looking at them without any context, these photos could have been taken anywhere outside of Adams County, Pa., but in reality it’s only 14 miles down the road. That’s a very powerful experience for students,” said Jorge Perez-Rico, director of the Migrant Education Technological Center for Adults and Families and parent coordinator. Perez-Rico is also a community liaison at Gettysburg College’s Center for Public Service (CPS) where he helps facilitate projects involving the College and the Latino community.  He coordinated and photographed many of the images in the exhibit.

“From the Outside Looking In,” a panel discussion on migration, gender and sexuality issues will take place Oct. 17 in Bowen Auditorium in McCreary Hall at 7 p.m. Latino community members will react to Zavella’s lecture and share personal experiences. 

Bryn Mawr College’s Prof. Azade Seyhan will present "Translating Agony to Remembrance in Exile Narratives” on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in Room 260 of the College Union Building on West Lincoln Avenue. Seyhan is the Fairbank Professor in the Humanities and teaches German and comparative literature.  Her visit is co-sponsored by Gettysburg College’s Interdisciplinary Studies, Globalization Studies, Middle East & Islamic Studies programs, CPS, and the departments of French and German.

From September to November, Gettysburg College’s Musselman Library will host a book display in the lobby. The books on display are available for checkout and have been chosen by students in Gettysburg College education Prof. Kaoru Miyazawa’s Language, Culture, & Immigration class.

The series will continue in spring 2013 with an additional speaker, Prof. Eithne Luibhéid of the University of Arizona, who teaches gender and women’s studies.  The series is co-sponsored by Gettysburg College’s WGS, CPS, Globalization Studies, Latin American Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Off-Campus Studies, and the Public Policy programs, anthropology and sociology departments, and the Events Planning and Coordinating Committee.  CPS coordinated community involvement along with Lincoln Intermediate Unit No.12 Migrant English as a Second Language Programs.

Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. Alumni include Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate, and other distinguished scholars. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.

Photos by Jorge Perez-Rico

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