CLASSROOM AND BEYOND Immigration Explained in Pictures and Words Immigration Attorney Collin Mickel and Photographer Mark Chester spoke with Anka Martula’s 8th- and 11th-grade U.S. history classes in October in conjunction with Chester’s photography exhibit The Bay State: A Multicultural Landscape, which was on display in the Simon Center Art Gallery this fall. Mickel is the coordinator of the Immigration Resource Center in Hyannis, and Chester is a self-taught local photographer whose exhibit featured black and white portraits of naturalized U.S.
citizens from around the world living in Massachusetts. “Immigration has a central role in U.S. politics and current events,” says Martula, “but its complexities and their implications, not to mention the human stories underlying them, are rarely discussed and even less understood.” Mickel untangled some of the complexities around immigration law and policy, explaining familiar but ambiguous terms and concepts (What is a visa? A green card? What is the difference between a refugee and
an asylum-seeker?). He adeptly detailed the processes and policies of the U.S. immigration system, explored the sources of legal authority in the realm of immigration law, and discussed the varied and diverse immigrant communities on Cape Cod and the specific challenges they face. Chester joined the conversation, sharing his experiences photographing and chronicling the stories of more than 400 new Americans living who’ve emigrated from 194 of the world’s 196 countries and territories.
Attorney Collin Mickel guest lecturing in Anka Martula’s American Civics in Perspective course.
First Encounters: Menschen begegnen sich Falmouth Academy, a German Center of Excellence, recently hosted the traveling exhibit First Encounters: Menschen begegnen sich, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). Displayed in the Simon Center Art Gallery for one week in December, the exhibit explored migration and its effects on shaping the German-American transatlantic friendship. First Encounters was part of the Year of German-American Friendship initiative, which encourages cultural exchange and encounter. “This exhibit was a colorful way to entice students to investigate the continuing history of migration in general and its effects in shaping the German-American transatlantic friendship in particular,” said Academic Dean Petra Ehrenbrink. From the beginnings of European immigration to North America, Germans have contributed to the political, cultural, and social aspects of the United States. Those first encounters took different forms depending on when and where German settlers arrived. Visitors to the exhibit were prompted to learn more about those first encounters, how Germans adjusted to their new environments, and how they contributed to their new communities. 12
The GAM
SPRING 2020
