'Enrique's Journey' Author Sonia Nazario to Speak at Mamaroneck High School

The following announcement is from the Mamaroneck Union Free School District:

After incorporating Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario into the 9th grade (current 10th graders) curriculum last year, MHS plans to study the text again this year, along with the book’s Pulitzer Prize winning author, Sonia Nazario, who will visit the high school to meet with students as well as community members October 14 & 15th. The story of a boy’s journey from Honduras to America in search of his mother, who left for the U.S. when Enrique was five years old in order to provide a better life for her children, is particularly relevant to current immigration issues our country faces. Enrique’s Journey exposes the harsh and dangerous realities for the children who attempt to make this same trek every day in hopes of reuniting with family members.

“Through this text, we will be examining the current climate of immigration policies in our country, reflecting on misconceptions and stereotypes, and analyzing the narrative of immigration in America,” says 9th grade English teacher Waldina Pineda, who has worked to make the author visit happen and planned for her visit, along with the other teachers in the department. Sonia’s appearance is made possible through a grant from the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation.

As students read the text in English 9, they will be asked to think critically about the following essential questions: What is at the heart of an immigrant story? and, How can an author use narrative and informational elements to tell an experience? During the unit, students will compose two major writing assignments, including an Oral History, where students will interview an immigrant and research relevant historical and social information, and an Op-Ed piece requiring students to think critically about a social issue. Additionally, when examining Enrique’s Journey, students will look at how Enrique’s mother moving to the United States affects his story and the decisions he makes, as well as how he views himself, what pushes him forward and what expectations immigrants have of America.

Nazario says, “The presentation I give includes showing about 40-50 photographs of the journey. I center my talk around the power of determination--in my life, the migrants’ lives, and talk about the narrative highs and lows of the book. I talk about my own three-month journey on top of freight trains through Mexico and how it changed my view of migrants. And I discuss the

immigration issue--locally, nationally and internationally. Unlike many others on this topic, I think the approaches embraced by both the left and right and again being debated in Congress don’t work, and talk about alternative solutions.”

All community members are invited to hear Nazario speak on Tuesday, October 14th at 7 pm in McLain Auditorium at Mamaroneck High School. A special Meet & Greet with Hispanic community members will be held in Spanish with Nazario the same evening from 6 - 6:50 pm in the lobby just outside McLain. Nazario -- who will serve as this year’s keynote speaker at the National Council for teachers of English conference -- will make a presentation to 9th and 10th grade students the following morning and visit with students at lunchtime.

Relevant Links:

Recent NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/opinion/sunday/a-refugee-crisis-not-an-immigration-crisis.html

Sonia Nazario on the Daily Show: http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/b7aa4i/sonia-nazario

Sonia Nazario on the Today Show: http://www.today.com/video/today/11653116#11653116

Sonia Nazario on MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/weekends-with-alex-witt/watch/sonia-nazario-outlines-border-crisis-concerns-308703299816

Photo: Enrique and Sonia Nazario in 2013. Photo credit: Sonia Nazario