Bethlehem, Pa., September 17, 2015 鈥 Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and best-selling author Sonia Nazario will present the keynote address at Moravian College鈥檚 celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Monday, September 28 in the Haupert Union Building鈥檚 Prosser Auditorium. Nazario will begin speaking at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
As a journalist, Nazario spent twenty years reporting on social issues affecting the United States, ranging from addiction to immigration. In 2002, she wrote the series 鈥淓nrique鈥檚 Journey鈥 for the Los Angeles Times. Based on personal interviews and told through a carefully reconstructed point of view, 鈥淓nrique鈥檚 Journey鈥 chronicles the dangerous and haunting voyage of a teenage migrant as he ventures to the United States in search of his mother, who left her home country of Honduras eleven years before so she could work in the United States in order to support her impoverished family.
In 2003, the series won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing and later became a best-selling novel published by Random House. It has since won a dozen awards, been published in eight languages, adapted for middle and high school readers, and adopted as required reading in dozens of universities across the country. The Washington Post Book World describes the novel as 鈥渕agnificent,鈥 while People awarded the book with four stars. Since the book鈥檚 success, Nazario has traveled the country in order to speak about the issues in Enrique鈥檚 Journey, issues that are still prevalent in today鈥檚 society.
In addition to spreading awareness about social issues, Nazario has also been an active figure in the nation鈥檚 humanitarian efforts. In 2014, after reporting on the immigration crisis for The New York Times, Nazario addressed the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and appeared on various national news programs in order to bring attention to the crisis and its effects on immigrant children. As a result of her efforts, she was awarded with several humanitarian awards, including the Don and Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award from the Advocates for Human Rights.
Nazario鈥檚 address is one of the many events taking place during Moravian College鈥檚 Hispanic Heritage Month. During the event, held from September 15 through October 15, the contributions that Hispanic Americans have made to our society will be honored. The address is sponsored by the Center for Intercultural Advancement and Global Inclusion, the Spanish Club, and the Latino Student Union.
The event will also tie in to Moravian College鈥檚 2015-2016 IN FOCUS theme of Poverty and Inequality. The goal of IN FOCUS is to engage students of Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary in the study of issues facing today鈥檚 society, as well as encouraging students to examine how such issues will affect the future. By examining such problems from various lenses, graduates of Moravian will be better equipped to contribute towards a fair and equal society.
Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Intercultural Advancement at huntc@moravian.edu prior to the event.