Explore the complex – and changing – notions surrounding the concepts of “citizen,” “immigrant,” and “refugee,” with leaders from various ethnic backgrounds as they discuss ways immigrants maintain cultural identities within a diverse culture. 

With opening statements by Faye Allard-Glass, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Community College of Philadelphia, we will delve into the terminology used to describe the U.S. as a “melting pot” or “salad bowl.”

Our panel, featuring immigrants from various parts of the world, will then share their experiences with cultural assimilation and preservation. Attendees are encouraged to share their experiences in Philadelphia.

Panelists include:

• Leslie Alcock, Assistant Director of the Irish Immigration Center

• Rana Fayez, reporter for technical.ly

• Pedro Rodriguez, Director, Office of Human Resources, City of Philadelphia

Light refreshments of traditional cuisine from our panelists' cultures will be served following the program. A document display featuring the collections of the former Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania will also be available for viewing. 

Act 48/CEU credit is available for educators. 

This program is the first in the "Becoming U.S." series exploring the stories and struggles of immigrants throughout Philadelphia’s 300+ year history.

Speaker bios: 

Leslie Alcock is the Executive Director of the Irish Immigration Center. The Irish Immigration Center is a community resource center that was founded in 1998 to meet the needs of the Irish community in Philadelphia.  We provide advice and support on a range of issues to the Irish community in our region. Originally from County Carlow, Ireland,  she moved to Philadelphia in 2012. Leslie has a master's degree in Social work and worked as a community youth worker and child protection social worker before moving to Philadelphia.

Dr. Faye Allard-Glass is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Community College of Philadelphia. Her primary areas of research and expertise are U.S. race relations and education.

Rana Fayez is a journalist who is living and working in West Philadelphia covering entrepreneurship, tech and dining. Saudi Arabian by birth, Virginian by upbringing, throughout Fayez's undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech and graduate studies at SUNY Albany, she has found meaning in intercultural and cocultural communication theory as a way to validate her experiences. Fayez is a Young Diplomat at Citizen Diplomacy International and a member of the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communication.

Pedro Rodriguez is the Director of the Office of Human Resources for the City of Philadelphia. Mr. Rodriguez was appointed director in May of 2016 by the Civil Service Commission of Philadelphia, Prior to this appointment he served a full six-year term in the Commission as a Commissioner. Mr. Rodriguez is a seasoned community organizer who led several organizations in the Philadelphia area, including Director of Open Boarders Project (Proyecto Sin Fronteras,) a Huntington Park/Olney based organization providing community programs such as English classes, computer courses and after-school programs.