GRIID is offering an 8 week class on the history of US immigration policy

Starting on Wednesday, September 23 from 6:00 – 8:00PM, GRIID will be offering an 8 week class on the history of US immigration policy and practices.

We will be using a variety of source materials throughout the 8 weeks, which will include chapters from numerous books, online articles and a few documentaries that deal with various aspects of of the history of US immigration policy.

Information and themes covered in the GRIID class are:

• Formal and informal US Immigration Policies
• US expansion and borders
• How US foreign policy impacts immigration
• White supremacy and xenophobia
• Dominant narratives about immigrants in the US
• Creation of Border Patrol, INS, ICE and detention centers
• Immigration policies and practices in Grand Rapids and Kent County

The GRIID Class on the history of US immigration policy will take place at Fountain Street Church every Wednesday for 8 weeks from September 23 through November 11, 6:00 – 8:00PM.

The cost of the class is $25 per person and the class size is no more than 20 people. You must pay before on by the first class on September 23rd. Participants will receive readings for each week of the class, but participants are not required to show up every week. To sign up please send an Email to sjeff987@gmail.com.

Jeff Smith will be facilitating this class. He has 40 years of experience in immigrant justice work, was part of the Central American Sanctuary Movement in the 1980s, has done accompaniment work in Central American and Mexico on and off between 1988 and 2006, and has been working as a volunteer organizer with Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE since 2017.