In this workshop, we discussed common myths and moved beyond polarized talking points to examine the facts about immigration and the significance of the stories we tell about immigrants.

Resources

• U.S. Immigrant Resource Hub
• World Relief Advocacy Page
• Equipped to Act: Understanding Immigration in Uncertain Times (originally produced as a 2024 election guide, it contains information on immigration policies, common myths, and ways to be an advocate)

Videos

• Ngozi Adichie, Chimamanda (October 7, 2009) The Danger of a Single Story

Research

• Argo, Nicole and Kate Jassen. American Immigration Council (February 18, 2021) Understanding How Deeply We Hold Our Immigration Stances May Matter as Much as What Our Stances Are
• Moslimani, Mohammad and Jeffrey S. Passel. Pew Research (September 7, 2024) What the Data Says About Immigrants in the U.S.
• Passel, Jeffrey S. and Jens Manuel Krogstad. Pew Research (July 22, 2024) What We Know About Unauthorized Immigrants Living in the U.S.
• Roy, Diana. Council on Foreign Relations (October 30, 2024) How Does Immigration Affect the U.S. Economy?

Articles

• Casteñeda, Ernesto. The Conversation (October 24, 2024) “Proof that Immigrants Fuel the U.S. Economy Is Found in the Billions They Send Back Home“
• Chishti, Muzaffar and Kathleen Bush-Joseph, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, and Madeleine Greene. Migration Information Source (December 10, 2025) “Biden’s Mixed Immigration Legacy: Border Challenges Overshadowed Modernization Advances“
• Galván, Jess. World Relief Blog (December 16, 2024) “Faith in the Halls of Power: The Transformative Power of Speaking Up“
• Galván, Jess. World Relief Chicagoland (November 15, 2024) Why We Welcome—”The Top 5 Immigration Myths Debunked“
• Gilder, Lucy. BBC Verify (September 29, 2024) “How Many Migrants Have Crossed the U.S. Border Illegally?“
• Lou, Kimberly and Barbara Deane. Diversity Central (April 2018) “Global Diversity Puts New Spin on Loden’s Diversity Wheel“
• Passel, Jeffrey S. and Jens Manuel Krogstad. Pew Research (July 22, 2024) What We Know About Unauthorized Immigrants Living in the U.S.
• Paz, Christian. Vox (July 12, 2024) “3 Theories for America’s Anti-immigrant Shift“

Book

• Gil, Carlos B. Gildeane Group (August 17, 2012) We Became Mexican American: How Our Immigrant Family Survived to Pursue the American Dream

In this workshop, we looked at the history of DEI initiatives and discussed the merits and shortcomings of DEI practices in the workplace.

Tools

• History of Laws and Executive Orders to Address Discrimination
• Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB): Standards for Organizations Around the World
• ISO Human Resource Management Standard on Diversity & Inclusion (ISO 30415:2021)

Articles

• “The Curb-Cut Effect” by Angela Glover Blackwell (Winter 2017)
• “From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity” by R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. (Mar-Apr 1990)
• “Disability – A Brief Historical Overview” by Kyle Murphy (July 11, 2024)
• “History of LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the American Workforce” by Worktango
• “The History of Sexual Orientation Discrimination” by Genevieve Carlton, Ph.D
• “Not All Women Gained the Right to Vote in 1920” NPR (July 6 2020)

Video

• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution written and directed by James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham (2021)

Podcast

• How Did DEI Become Part of a Political Agenda — And a Slur? with Ella Washington and Frank Dobbin (March 5, 2025)

Books

• Women at Work: The Transformation of Work and Life in Lowell, 1826-1860 by Thomas Dublin. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979.
• Disability in the Industrial Revolution: Physical Impairment in British Coalmining, 1780-1880 by Blackie D. Turner. Manchester (UK): Manchester University Press; 2018.

Websites

• Washington Center for Equitable Growth
• Who Got the Right to Vote When?
• She Resisted, Strategies of Suffrage (Interactive, audio-visual)

Directives

• Multi-State Guidance Concerning Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Employment Initiatives, From the Offices of the Attorneys General in 16 States (Feb 13, 2025)

In Honor of Women’s History Month:

• Extraordinary Women In History, by Leah Gail

In our first Workshop of 2025, we learned not to shy away from difficult conversations but to be able to discuss divergent points of view without becoming contentious and polarized.

Websites

• The Better Arguments Project
• Citizenship and American Identity Program

Videos

• Liu, Eric (May 2024) #DisagreeBetter, Keynote to the National Governors’ Association in Nashville, TN
• Liu, Eric (Sep 2013) Why Ordinary People Need to Understand Power, a TedTalk

Books

• Duhigg, Charles (2024) Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
• Gentile, Mary C. (2012) Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What’s Right
• Rosenberg, Marshall B. (2015) Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
• Warner, C. Terry (2016) Bonds That Make Us Free: Healing Our Relationships, Coming to Ourselves

Articles

• LaMotte, Sandee (2020) “How to Talk Politics with Angry Loved Ones Who Disagree with You.”
• Mayer, Katherine (2024) “Incivility Hits Highest Level This Year—and is Costing Employers Billions.”
• Clifford, Catherine (2020) “This Expert Says You Shouldn’t Keep Politics out of the Office—Here’s the Right Way to Talk about it at Work.”

Report

• American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship (2020) “Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century.”