Kids In Need of Defense

On April 30th, I visited New York City to speak at the Gala Dinner at Jazz at Lincoln Center for Kids In Need of Defense, a non-profit that works to find pro-bono attorneys to represent unaccompanied immigrant children. So far, they have recruited more than 5,000 attorneys nationwide. The entire board of KIND, myself included, helped ring the closing bell at the NASDAQ at 4:00 pm that afternoon in Times Square. Here are some of my favorite photos from that visit.

Victoria Kennedy introducing me as keynote speaker for the KIND gala.

Here I am ringing the NASDAQ closing bell with KIND.

Keynote Speaker at Harvard University's "Crossing Borders: Immigration and Gender in the Americas" Symposium

I recently had the privilege of speaking at Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study for a conference about immigration, focusing specifically on female migrants.

I wanted to share an article about my speech from the Harvard Gazette.

The Price of Women's Migration

New York Times Op-ed on Immigrant Children in need of Legal Defense

I wanted to share broadly an opinion piece that will run in tomorrow's New York Times. It's an issue I feel passionately about and one I believe this country needs to address. 

I also wanted to share a bit of good news: Enrique's Journey, adapted for younger readers, will be out this August for junior high school students. If you know any teachers who might be interested in a preview copy, please let me know! 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/opinion/give-lawyers-to-immigrant-children.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I did an interview today with NPR's Talk of the Nation about the use of Enrique's Journey for common reads on college campuses. We talked about, among other things, how universities are willing to teach about controversial issues like immigration.
Here is the link:
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/13/158694013/college-freshmen-learn-from-enriques-journey

Please vote!

My book, Enrique's Journey, has been nominated as one of three finalists for Denver's One Book One Denver program. 

I have seen, in many trips to Colorado, the real need for greater discussion about immigrants. If you agree a more robust, nuanced, and open discussion about immigrants would be a good thing, please take 30 seconds to vote to make Enrique's Journey the City of Denver's Book for 2012.

Voting ends June 22, 2012.

Please take a moment now to help make this happen! Ask your friends on Facebook and elsewhere to vote.

Here's the link:

http://www.denverartsinteractive.org/text/1248/entries

Thank you for your support!

Sonia Nazario

NPR Story about migrants riding freight trains through Mexico.

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/06/137528534/atop-a-train-migrants-begin-dangerous-trek-to-u-s

Latino USA Interview on Increasing Number of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children

Recently, I spoke with NPR’s Maria Hinojosa to discuss the growing number of minors crossing the U.S-Mexico border without a parent, and illegally. In the past six months, there has been a 93% increase over the same period a year ago of these youths entering the U.S. Listen to us discuss why this influx of young, unaccompanied, immigrants may be happening.

http://www.futuromediagroup.org/lusa/2012/05/25/minor-crossers/