Addressing Legal, Social & Language Obstacles Facing Low-Income Immigrants

When: Wednesday, September 24^th, 6:30PM-8:30PM
Where: University of Maryland, South Campus Commons Building 1, Room 1102
Description: This talk will give a holistic and humanistic perspective to students, staff and community members on the challenges faced by low-income immigrants in the local area. Beginning with an overview of the demographic make-up of the immigrant community, this talk will address how advocacy and direct service groups work with low-immigrants to overcome obstacles through accessible services and inclusive policies. The importance of looking at immigration—both at the individual and policy levels—through a global/transnational perspective will be discussed. A more informal conversation about careers in immigrant advocacy will follow the first half of the presentation.

About the Speaker:

Sarah Block is the program initiatives coordinator for Ayuda, a 41 year old non-profit organization that provides legal, social and language direct services to low-income immigrants in the DMV.

Sarah has been active with the immigrant community in Washington, D.C. for many years. A native New Yorker, Sarah moved to D.C. to attend American University eight years ago where she received her bachelor’s and eventually master’s degree in cultural anthropology. Previously, Sarah worked at the Smithsonian Institution. Sarah is thrilled to work with Ayuda where she gets to help empower low-income immigrants every day.