With the publication of her debut book “The Undocumented Americans,” Karla Cornejo Villavicencio became the first undocumented finalist for a National Book Award. Her book was also named by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of 2020 and selected as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, Time, NPR, The New York Public Library, Book Riot, Vulture, and the Library Journal. Ms. Villavicencio has written about immigration, music, beauty, and mental illness for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Republic, Glamour, Elle, Vogue, n+1, and The New Inquiry, among other publications. A graduate of Harvard University and a doctoral candidate in the American Studies program at Yale, Ms. Villavicencio lives in New Haven with her partner and their dog.
Almost done! Check your email to get your password.
The Undocumented Americans
In Conversation With Author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Thursday, April 01, 2021, 12pm
EDT
Event Overview
Join us in conversation with Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, author of “The Undocumented Americans.” At a time when the fabled American Dream is turning into a nightmare for so many, Ms. Cornejo Villavicencio's searing debut is an incandescent and fearless indictment against the dark systemic forces of racism and immigration injustice.
Part memoir, part journalism, part testimonio, “The Undocumented Americans” looks well beyond the flash points at the border or the activism of the Dreamers and allows the individuals profiled to be seen more fully and felt more compassionately as vibrant, complex, and dignified human beings. In her relentlessly probing voice, Ms. Cornejo Villavicencio combines sensitive reporting with her own experiences as an undocumented writer to show the love, magic, heartbreak, insanity, and vulgarity that infuse the day-to-day lives of housekeepers in Miami; Ground Zero cleanup workers in New York City; day laborers in Staten Island; families facing deportation in Ohio and Connecticut; and immigrants in Flint, Michigan who struggle to access lifesaving clean water.
The series “Reimagining Citizenship” features scholars, writers, and artists whose work interrogates the limits and possibilities of legal, social, and cultural belonging. Through book talks, roundtables, and presentations, we consider how multidisciplinary, multispecies approaches to the study of migration open up new understandings of citizenship, borders, and social transformation. Organized through Cornell University’s Migrations Global Grand Challenge. Student panelists for this discussion include Julia Jun, Don Izekor, and Stella Linardi
This event is co-sponsored by: Cornell Law School, Cornell Dean of Students Office, Dream Team, the Department of Romance Studies, and AltBreaks.
Part memoir, part journalism, part testimonio, “The Undocumented Americans” looks well beyond the flash points at the border or the activism of the Dreamers and allows the individuals profiled to be seen more fully and felt more compassionately as vibrant, complex, and dignified human beings. In her relentlessly probing voice, Ms. Cornejo Villavicencio combines sensitive reporting with her own experiences as an undocumented writer to show the love, magic, heartbreak, insanity, and vulgarity that infuse the day-to-day lives of housekeepers in Miami; Ground Zero cleanup workers in New York City; day laborers in Staten Island; families facing deportation in Ohio and Connecticut; and immigrants in Flint, Michigan who struggle to access lifesaving clean water.
The series “Reimagining Citizenship” features scholars, writers, and artists whose work interrogates the limits and possibilities of legal, social, and cultural belonging. Through book talks, roundtables, and presentations, we consider how multidisciplinary, multispecies approaches to the study of migration open up new understandings of citizenship, borders, and social transformation. Organized through Cornell University’s Migrations Global Grand Challenge. Student panelists for this discussion include Julia Jun, Don Izekor, and Stella Linardi
This event is co-sponsored by: Cornell Law School, Cornell Dean of Students Office, Dream Team, the Department of Romance Studies, and AltBreaks.
What You'll Learn
- Hear author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio read from her acclaimed book “The Undocumented Americans”
- How undocumented legal status affects individuals and families in cities across the U.S.
- How immigrant justice and racial justice are connected
- How testimonial narratives inform broader understandings of the lived realities of people facing deportation
Speakers
Writer
Jaclyn Kelley-Widmer
Clinical Professor of Law
Cornell Law School
Jaclyn Kelley-Widmer is Clinical Professor of Law at Cornell Law School and director of the 1L Immigration Law & Advocacy Clinic. She teaches courses on immigration law and supervises students representing immigrants in matters ranging from asylum and parole to naturalization and special immigrant juvenile status.
In addition to her extensive casework, Professor Kelley-Widmer is recognized for her expertise in Know Your Rights education, preparing immigrants and international students to understand and assert their legal protections. She also leads Cornell’s pro bono Path2Papers project, which assists DACA recipients seeking permanent pathways to legal status.
View Keynote by completing the form below.
Gain access to this free event
Thanks,
You're Registered!
You're Registered!
Join or sign in to tailor your experience and earn CEUs from Cornell.
Create Account