Broward College Hosts Discussion on Immigration Reform as part of The Village Square Forum

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (Jan. 28, 2015) – Broward College, in partnership with The Village Square, will bring together top experts to discuss immigration reform at its second “Dinner at the Square” event, to be held on Thursday, Feb. 19, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Huizenga Pavilion, 201 SW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. The event, titled “What is Holding Back Comprehensive Immigration Reform?” is open to the public; however, registration is required to attend. Early pricing available. Registration starts at $35, then goes to $40 on Feb. 4 and is $50 the day of the event.

“Creating this type of platform for civic engagement in Broward County allows the community to come together to examine key political issues facing our state and country,” said President of Broward College, J. David Armstrong, Jr. “Now is the perfect time to examine immigration reform, a topic that is making national headlines and greatly impacts so many in the South Florida region.”

Speakers for the event include Josie Bacallao, president and CEO, Hispanic Unity of Florida; Juan Escalante, Broward College alumnus and immigration reform advocate; Randolph McGrorty, immigration attorney and CEO of Catholic Legal Services at the Archdiocese of Miami; Gepsie Metellus, executive director of Sant La, and Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County. They will explore and discuss issues of amnesty, border security, family reunification, work visas, and how comprehensive immigration reform will affect Florida in comparison to other U.S. states.

The Village Square is a non-partisan public educational forum, founded in 2006 when Allan Katz, former-Tallahassee city commissioner, and his friend Bill Law, president of Tallahassee Community College, were on opposing sides of a divisive local issue. In their disagreement, they decided to create a shared civic space for conversations for people with different viewpoints to discuss matters of local, state and national importance.

All events are planned by the advisory board members, a group of community leaders, including city and county commissioners, educators, business owners, and religion and non-profit leaders from across Broward County, representing all political affiliations.

For more information, contact Angela Nicoletti at 954-201-7939 or  anicolet@broward.edu , or visit  http://www.broward.edu/villagesquare . To register for the event, visit  http://bit.ly/14TaJ6y .

-BC-