Understanding Immigration Through Lorgia García Peña’s Lens: Her Great Immigrants Honor and Newest Topic

Last night’s presidential debate brought immigration back into the spotlight. As conversations heat up, it’s crucial to ground discussions in real experiences and expert research. Meet Lorgia García Peña, an immigrant scholar who provides invaluable insights on the complexities of immigration policy. Her work highlights the lived experiences of immigrants and the impacts of policy decisions.

Carnegie Corporation of New York announced in July its annual list of Great Immigrants, honoring 24 naturalized citizens whose contributions have enriched our society and strengthened our democracy. This public awareness campaign celebrates immigrants’ vital role in American life. Lorgia was one of the 2024 honorees, honoring her contributions and academic work studying colonialism, migration and diaspora with an emphasis on Black Latinx communities. 

Multi-award-winning scholar explores intersections of race and immigration at the global level

SCHOLAR

ACTIVIST

WRITER 

Born in the Dominican Republic

Professor of Latinx Studies, Princeton University

2022 Angela Davis Prize Winner

Lorgia's work is characterized by a commitment to dismantling systemic barriers and providing workers of color, educators, students or beyond, with the necessary tools and resources to thrive in their profession and studies. Cornel West adds, “Lorgia García Peña is one of the few courageous and brilliant intellectuals grounded in rigorous and visionary grassroots education.”

She calls for a unified fight against all forms of racism, emphasizing the need to recognize and address anti-Blackness within the Latinx community to achieve true liberation and equality, with a deep emphasis in the Dominican Republic through her studies.

Newest Topic: ALMOST CITIZENSHIP: LESSONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF IMMIGRATION

From the fruit we pick to the cars we drive, immigrants are a critical part of our economy, providing important labor for everything we consume. Yet, in national and international politics, migration and immigrants are regarded as a point of contention dividing or uniting the electorate in any given year or geography. In this talk, Lorgia humanizes immigration by grounding it on her own journey as a child immigrant and her experiences growing up between her native Dominican Republic and the U.S. From her experiences as a child immigrant to her work with undocumented students, Lorgia walks us through the ways in which immigration shapes the lives of people in the United States while shedding light on the multiple ways in which the immigrant experience intersects other experiences of minoritization.

Note: Lorgia can present in English or Spanish.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a perfect time to explore the contributions of our Hispanic and Latinx community members, scholars and authors/speakers. Don't miss your chance to feature her in these important conversation whether during this month’s celebration dates of September 15-October 15 or beyond!