EventsSeptember 27, 2024

DACA Panel Slated Oct. 7

A panel discussion exploring the role of students in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) movement will be held Monday, Oct. 7, from 6-8 p.m. in the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center’s Reynolds Room at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith.

The event, titled “From the Classroom to the Capitol: Students’ Role in the DACA Movement,” is free and open to the public, and will bring together state leaders, university faculty, and nonprofit advocates to discuss how students have contributed to the recent passage of seven DACA-related laws in Arkansas.

Co-hosted by Arkansas United, the UAFS Office of International Relations, and the Hispanic Heritage Planning Committee, the event aims to highlight student activism in the expansion of educational access and workforce opportunities for DACA recipients.

Panelists will include Mike Rogers, Arkansas chief workforce officer; Retired Col. Nate Todd, member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees; Dr. Bill Schwab Professor Emeritus at the University of Arkansas, author of "Dreams Derailed; and Dr. Megan Godfrey, former Arkansas state representative.

"As an immigrant-led, immigrant-serving nonprofit that has been working with Fort Smith families for 14 years, we have been able to witness firsthand the tremendous leadership that exists in Fort Smith and the authentic desire to build bridges with and help River Valley Hispanic families," said Mireya Reith, founding executive director of Arkansas United. "It was important for us that the community of Fort Smith have the opportunity to acknowledge their local leadership and to hear from our current state leaders about ways to maximize the benefit of the DACA laws we all passed together."

Reith emphasized that the discussion is part of the broader theme of Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates the heritage of "dreams" and the desire to help Hispanic students fulfill their educational and workforce potential.

Noah Schmidt, UAFS international student programs and services administrator, added. "I've been so impressed by the students I've met at UAFS and other schools around Arkansas. From this panel, my hope is that we can learn more about how those students' energy and activism helped expand educational access and workforce participation in our state."

The discussion will provide insights into new opportunities tied to the recently passed DACA laws and other programs impacting Arkansas' immigrant communities.

• Tags:
• Hispanic Heritage Month
• International Relations