Immigration In The Heartland
Immigration In The Heartland
IJJ fellows talk to teenagers during a visit to Santa Fe South High School in Oklahoma City, where most students are immigrants.
Immigrants have dramatically changed the face of America, and in the past decade, the transformation has been most acutely felt in the "Heartland."
The Immigration in the Heartland program is a joint project between the Institute for Justice and Journalism and the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Featuring a week-long conference at OU's Norman campus, the program is designed for professional journalists seeking to report on the complexities of immigration with clarity, depth and context.
Each selected fellow is responsible for producing an in-depth project story or a series of shorter stories or commentary that will draw from the fellowship experience. The Heartland program is funded by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.
"Thank you so much for this opportunity. I understand this issue in much more depth, and I’m anxious to apply what I’ve learned."
- Graham Brewer, Oklahoma Watch
"I’ve reported on immigration for a number of years, but the conference offered an opportunity to understand how this issue affects a rural community versus an urban setting. Many of the problems are similar, but play out differently. Students we met spoke about a level of stress and loss that few urban communities experience. It was very useful and will definitely inform my reporting in the future."
- Sandra Hernandez, Los Angeles Times
Immigration lawyer Dan Kowalski gives a legal seminar.
Maria Zamudio interviews an ICE official.