Atlanta Immigration Summit – Please RSVP Today
Found in Press Release
Written by New America Media
Posted on 2007-07-02

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Alex Moe 646-812-4885
Immigrant Rights Groups Contact: Elena Shore 415-503-4170

ATLANTA — Michael L. Thurmond, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor, and Hispanic pollster Sergio Bendixen will meet with Southern ethnic media and immigrant rights groups at the 2007 Immigration Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. Hosted by New America Media (NAM) in partnership with the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, this free summit will offer unique opportunities for reporters and editors who face the immense challenge of covering immigration in the Southern United States.

At a time of intense national debate over immigration reform – the number one concern for ethnic media – cities across the South are roiled by changing demographics, anti-immigrant legislation, and growing anti-immigrant sentiment in their communities. The Senate’s failure to move the immigration bill forward has made the immigrants’ rights movement more important than ever – as immigrants face a future of increased raids, local anti-immigrant legislation and enforcement without legalization.

The goal of the summit is not only to bolster the communications of the Immigration Rights Movement, but also to strengthen reporting around immigration issues. The event will be a major benchmark in connecting ethnic media to one another, as well as to key leaders of the national Immigrant Rights Movement, and to the local community-based organizations working around this subject.

Pollster Sergio Bendixen, CEO of Bendixen & Associates, will share the findings of a new poll of undocumented immigrants in the United States and discuss its implications for the South.

Michael L. Thurmond, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor, will share his views on the economic and labor issues surrounding the immigration debate.

The day-long summit will include panels on where the national Immigrant Rights Movement is headed, how to build a more effective collaboration between ethnic media and immigrant rights groups in the South, how to cover immigration policy, and strategies for dealing with and covering the anti-immigrant backlash.

Ethnic media now provide news and information for one out of four adults in the United States, according to NAM multilingual polling. Nowhere has the growth of this sector been more dramatic than in the South. Last month, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that by 2025 Georgia, Florida and Maryland would be among a handful of states in which the minority population will outnumber whites. Additionally, Atlanta has more than a dozen Korean-language newspapers, along with robust Hispanic, African-American, Chinese, Vietnamese and Hmong media.

This free summit will provide a rare occasion for journalists in this sector to meet and build relationships with advocates on the frontlines who can help them cover these issues more effectively for their communities.

When: Thursday July 12, 2007
9:00 a.m. Breakfast and Registration
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Program (lunch included)

Where: University of Georgia Alumni Center
Atlanta Financial Center
3333 Peachtree Road, N.E.
South Tower, Suite 210
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
Phone: (404) 266-2622

Cost: There is no charge for this event.

RSVP: Please RSVP no later than Tuesday July 3rd.

Media: Please RSVP to Alex Moe at 646-812-4885.
Immigrant Rights Groups: Please RSVP to Elena Shore at 415-503-4170.

Hosted by New America Media, the largest national association of ethnic media in the U.S.

Co-sponsored by Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Georgia, National Immigration Forum, Center for Community Change, Asian American Justice Center, and the National Council of La Raza.