MLK Day 2023 at Concordia was a day of celebration and learning. Students, faculty, and guest speakers all added their voices to the ongoing conversations about diversity in its many forms at Concordia College. Dr. Lisa Twomey’s Inquiry 100 class hosted a session aiming to introduce attendees to the many cultures and experiences they can find right here in Fargo-Moorhead.
Dr. Twomey’s class, INQ 100: In Search of Home, focused on educating students about the immigration process and realities of immigration in the United States. Students then went to Moorhead Adult Basic Education (ABE) and worked with English Language Learners, many of whom are New Americans. The students from both programs spent sessions in conversation, learning about their partners, and worked cooperatively to write individual and group poems highlighting identity. Examples of these poems can be read here: Twomey Poems.docx
Inquiry students at the MLK Day session gave an overview of important background information on immigration to the United States today (linked below) and talked about the personal connections they made with the ABE students. Students also spoke about how much they had learned about the shared and different experiences that they had with the ABE students and repeatedly commented on the value of listening and learning about other people.
The overwhelming message of this session was a reminder that you never know what someone has gone through unless you take the time to get to know them, and that even if someone looks different from you or comes from a different background, there is often a lot you have in common.
INQ 100: In Search of Home would like to say a special thank you to Tammy Schatz and Moorhead ABE for allowing them to work with students again this semester, as well as to Better Together, Justice Journeys, and Concordia Campus Ministry for their support of the program and for sponsoring refreshments at the MLK Day session.
Written by Emma Skuza, World Languages and Cultures Administrative Assistant