Migration Pathways - Stories of Yesterday and Today 10/29/22

Vermont Humanities will present “Migration Pathways: Stories of Yesterday and Today” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, in the Main Reading Room of the Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St. Andrew Ingall, creator of the project “Warlé, Yesterday, and Today,” will deliver a slide talk and storytelling exercise inspired by the lives and legacy of Warren Kronemeyer and Leon Ingall, a Vermont couple who were entrepreneurs and civic leaders in Townshend during the 1980 and 1990s. Leon was a refugee twice: first fleeing the Bolsheviks in 1918 and then again from the Nazis in the late 1930s. Warren and Leon’s story of love, adversity, caregiving, and creativity provides a lens to explore similar and divergent experiences of today’s LGBTQ+ elders, asylum-seekers, refugees, and migrants.  The afternoon will conclude with a discussion from local organizations that include an overview of various immigration statuses and avenues towards residency; how these underrepresented communities invigorate cultural, economic, and social life; and how citizens can best support newcomers. Speakers in attendance include Kate Paarlberg-Kvam, Community Asylum Seekers Project; Alex Beck, Brattleboro Development Credit Cooperation; Eduardo Meléndez, ECDC Multicultural Community Center; and Abdullah, ArtLords. Learn more about the event at https://www.vermonthumanities.org/event/refugee-stories-yesterday-and-today. This program is part of the lineup for the “Where We Land: Stories that Propel Us” Fall Festival featuring 11 events held across Vermont from Oct. 3 to 29. The festival is a remix of the organization’s long-running annual Fall Conference, and this year occurs during National Arts and Humanities Month. “We look forward to welcoming old friends of the Fall Conference and new friends who are just learning about our work to our remixed Fall Festival,” said Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup, VH director. A statewide nonprofit organization founded in 1974, Vermont Humanities uses the humanities to connect with people across Vermont to create just, vibrant, and resilient communities and to inspire a lifelong love of learning. Learn more at www.vermonthumanities.org.