The second installment of CODE^SHIFT's annual Symposium took place on Friday, April 5, 2024 at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School Of Public Communications. This year's symposium theme was "Othered Immigrants: Inclusive Storytelling for Well-Being, Advocacy, and Counternarratives".
The symposium featured cutting-edge scholarship from faculty experts across the country, altogether representing ten universities and a collective inquiry into immigrant issues and identities from both national and international perspectives. The showcase brought to the fore investigations on a diverse spread of immigrant identities, from formerly detained migrants in the U.S., to Jamaican immigrant healthcare workers; and immigrant women educators in American academia, to Asian-American journalists. Numerous University faculty members and students were in attendance.
Friday's presentations came at a time where immigration remains one of the nation's most significant points of contention, especially as we approach the November U.S. presidential elections. Recent events such as the Covid-19 pandemic have revealed health inequalities faced by migrants and refugees worldwide, while the past and present ‘War on Terror’ – and media narratives perpetuated during it – continue to affect the Muslim community in the U.S. The symposium highlighted the intersectionality and nuanced nature of immigrant identities, as well as ways to better advocate for them through counternarratives that challenge negative cultural stereotypes.
This event was organized as part of the CNY Humanities Corridor's Working Group, Communication & Social Justice (ISD6).