As part of The Journey of Hope: Minnesota March for Justice, Opportunity and Against Racism, Sept. 11-13 from Owatonna to Albert Lea, The Advocates for Human Rights and Resource Center of the Americas will present a series of workshops on immigration. This will be an opportunity for sharing stories and learning the facts about immigration in southern Minnesota and in our nation.

The workshops will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Austin Public Library, 323 Fourth Ave. NE, and on Sunday, Sept. 13 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church, 301 W. Clark St., in Albert Lea. The afternoon will begin with a presentation highlighting local Latino community members speaking about immigration and a reflection as to how this impacts our communities. Next, the afternoon will transition into an interactive workshop exploring common myths about immigration and an examination of the facts on how immigrants contribute to our economy and our nation.

Inspired by personal stories of immigration and armed with information, workshop participants will collaborate to generate ideas for taking action in their own lives. Attendees will be given useful tools and resources to create welcoming communities and to join their neighbors in organizing for reform.

Please join us for all or part of the activities! The workshops are free, open to the public, and no pre-registration is required. If you would like more information about these events, please call Stephanie Bates at (612) 276-0788 or e-mail her at Stephanie.Bates@americas.org.

Anna Donnelly

Minneapolis