Jose Antonio Vargas, journalist, filmmaker, and a leading activist for undocumented immigrant rights ever since he stunned the nation with a New York Times essayrevealing his own hidden second life, will appear in Tacoma.
His talk, “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” will take place Thursday, April 6, 7:30–9 p.m., at University of Puget Sound’s Kilworth Memorial Chapel. Entrance is free, but attendees are asked to register, as explained below. Vargas is being hosted by Tacoma Community House, University of Puget Sound’s Center for Intercultural and Civic Engagement, and Humanities Washington.
TIME magazine featured Vargas on its cover a year after his 2011 story in The New York Times Magazine, in which he “outed” himself as an undocumented immigrant who had arrived from the Philippines at age 12 and enjoyed a successful career as a journalist. In 2013 Vargas released Documented, a film chronicling his childhood journey to the United States.
Vargas has written for Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker, and has appeared in television and film, including in MTV’s Emmy-nominated White People and the documentary
The Other City. He was part of The Washington Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2008 for coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting. Vargas also is chief executive of the nonprofit Define American, which aims to elevate national conversations around citizenship and identity through storytelling.
In his lecture Vargas will provide a deeper look into his experiences as a queer, undocumented Filipino immigrant in a national climate full of uncertainties. He also will describe how he defied tremendous odds to become one of contemporary America’s most prolific and well-known immigrant rights advocates.
The visit by Jose Antonio Vargas is made possible by the support of Humanities Washington; University of Puget Sound’s Center for Intercultural and Civic Engagement, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound; Immanuel Presbyterian Church; Temple Beth El; and Mason United Methodist Church.
ADMISSION: Admission for the event is free. Those interested in attending are asked to register at JoseVargasLecture.eventbrite.com.
For directions and a map of the University of Puget Sound campus: pugetsound.edu/directions
For accessibility information please contact accessibility@pugetsound.edu or 253.879.3931, or visit pugetsound.edu/accessibility.
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