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Join MOCH for a screening of the short documentary Shadow People (2024, 8min) followed by a roundtable discussion focused on how the arts intersect with policy, advocacy, and university research in helping us better understand the human impact of migration.
Shadow People, directed by Memphian Aaron Baggett, is an intimate dialogue between a mother and son. Dorian, who lives in Memphis, longs to visit his ailing grandmother in Honduras. But his mother, Onyeda, fears his legal status will prevent his return to the U.S., risking their relationship and sacrifices made to reach this country.
After the screening, we'll have a discussion with the film's producer and subject, Dorian Canales, along with an interdisciplinary group of experts on the legal and cultural issues around migration in Memphis.
Our Panelists:
(moderator) Diana Ruggiero is a Professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Literatures. Her most recent scholarship focuses on Spanish language speakers and healthcare, particularly the mental, emotional, and physical health needs of the local Latinx and other underserved populations of Memphis.
Bryce Ashby, a labor and employment attorney at Donati Law, has co-written dozens of op-eds for Memphis Flyer and Daily Memphian about immigration policy and is co-author of Immigration, Policy, and the People of Latin America: Stories from Seven Sending Nations (Routledge, 2024).
Dorian Canales is a commercial banker at JP Morgan Chase and co-founder of Dacacademy, producer of Shadow People.
Yuleiny Escobar was born in Queens, New York to Mexican immigrant parents in the 1990s and graduated from Hippocrates University in Acapulco. She is the lead community organizer at the Shelby County Voter Alliance and the founder of "Desayuno con Libros," a monthly breakfast and books event at Gaisman Community Center.
Dr. Elizabeth Iams Wellman is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Memphis whose research focuses on how international migration is reshaping electoral politics and national citizenship. She is also an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and serves on the Board of Directors of Kartemquin Films.
This event is co-sponsored by the Department of World Languages and Literatures.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Ned R McWherter Library, 126 Ned R Mcwherter Library,Memphis, Tennessee, United States
