A Global City for All

Cleveland has always been a welcoming, gateway city. Immigrants and refugees are playing an increasingly critical role in every facet of Greater Cleveland’s economy. According to Global Cleveland, they are twice as likely as native-born to become entrepreneurs, and nearly one-fifth of immigrants age 27 years or older in the Cleveland metro area have a graduate or professional degree--contributing to the "brain gain" needed to support a thriving city.

But recent national politics and policies have changed the rhetoric around immigrants and refugees, blurring fact from fiction. This has created a challenging environment for newcomers to our country. How can Cleveland leverage the many talents of immigrants and refugees who join our communities, and truly become a global city for all?

Join us to hear from Dr. Ruth Ellen Wasem, Senior Fellow at the College of Education and Public Affairs at Cleveland State University. From 2016 to 2022, Dr. Wasem was a professor of public policy practice at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, where she taught courses on immigration and citizenship policies, refugee and human security policies, and legislative development. Dr. Wasem continues to be engaged in Washington, D.C., and as an opinion contributor for The Hill.

Dr. Wasem will provide introductory remarks, followed by a panel conversation with local immigrant leaders, Kwame Botchway, Larisse Mondok, and Marina Jackman. The conversation will be moderated by Patrick Espinosa, Managing Partner at Sus Abogados Latinos.

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