Migrant activist to give speech to community at city hall event

Migrant expert Jacqueline Garcia will give a talk at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Bloomington City Hall council chambers.

The Bloomington Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs and the nonprofit organization Witness for Peace are sponsoring the event, which is free and open to the public.

Garcia will speak about the various reasons people migrate, the risks migrants face, what they leave behind in their former communities and how citizens can be advocates for changing their circumstances.

Garcia emigrated from Mexico at age 16 as an undocumented immigrant with her mother to California. While there, she gained an interest in serving her community, according to a press release.

She returned to Mexico for several years to work as a Catholic missionary. She studied social psychology and earned a master’s degree in social sciences, joining the Jesuit Migrant Service.

“Ms. Garcia’s personal experiences are key to her powerful advocacy efforts,” Gracia Valliant, chair of the Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs, explained in a press release. “She is using the tools she has gained in her personal life to help others.”

More information about this event and others can be found at witnessforpeace.org.

— Zach Ammerman