Are the two attachments incompatible, or do they spur each other on?

Hometown Associations (HTAs), organizations for immigrants who share the same place of origin, may serve to increase the civic capacity of immigrants from across the globe. Beyond hosting social and cultural events for their members, HTAs often serve as mechanisms to raise money for their hometowns and, more informally, help immigrants navigate civic and political systems in their new hometowns.

Our panel brings together representatives from several Los Angeles HTAs — some of America’s largest — with academics who have researched HTAs to discuss the role these organizations play in the economic, political and social integration of immigrants in the U.S.

Join us as we explore this facet of immigrant integration in Los Angeles.

Moderator

• Ricardo Ramirez, USC professor of Political Science and American Studies and Ethnicity
  

Speakers

• Sara Zapata-Mijares, president and founder of Federación de Clubes Yucatecos-U.S.A.
• Omar Corletto, president of Comité de Festejos Centroamericanos
• Jules Boyele, president of the Congolese Community of Southern California
• Chancee Martorell, executive director, Thai Community Development Center
• Luis Escala Rabadán, professor of Social Studies, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte