Journalist to Speak at OU about Life as Undocumented U.S. Immigrant

By <a href="http://www.ou.edu/garlord.html">Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication</a>

Vargas, who will speak at the University of Oklahoma Oct. 13, admitted he was an undocumented immigrant in a groundbreaking essay published in The New York Times Magazine in 2011.

The Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma invites you to hear and engage with one of the nation’s boldest voices on the topic of undocumented immigrants and citizenship.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, immigration reform activist and renowned speaker Jose Antonio Vargas comes to the University of Oklahoma on Oct. 13. He will speak at Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall in Catlett Music Center at 7 p.m., along with students and leaders from Oklahoma-based Aspiring Americans. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is the host for this event.

Vargas admitted he was an undocumented immigrant in a groundbreaking essay published in The New York Times Magazine in 2011. The article stunned media and political circles throughout the country and attracted worldwide coverage. A year later, he appeared on the cover of TIME magazine with fellow undocumented immigrants as part of a follow-up cover story he wrote.

Vargas’ work centers on the changing American identity. He is the founder of Define American, a non-profit media and culture organization that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in America, and the executive editor of #EmergingUS, a multimedia news platform he conceived focusing on race, immigration and the complexities of multiculturalism. In August MTV aired, as part of its Look Different campaign, White People, a TV special he directed on what it means to be young and white in America.

Vargas wrote, produced and directed Documented, a documentary feature film on his undocumented experience.

OU's Hispanic American Student Association will show this documentary in the Gaylord Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation Auditorium Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.

The Gayord College is grateful to partner with many organizations to bring this speaker to the college. Those partners include the Hearst Foundation, Latino Student Life, Aspiring Americans, College of Arts and Sciences, Price College of Business, Diversity Enrichment Programs, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, Administration and Finance, College of International Studies, UWC Davis Scholars, OU College of Law, Enrollment Services, the Office of University Community, OU WebComm, and OU Housing and Food Services.