Virtual Book Talk: A is for Asylum Seeker

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Join us on YouTube Live at 7:00 PM for a virtual talk with the creators of A is for Asylum Seeker: Words for People on the Move – author Rachel Ida Buff, illustrator Iuscely Flores, and translator Alejandra Oliva. In a world where the difference between “undocumented migrant” and “asylum seeker” can mean life or death, words have weighty consequences. Rachel’s new book seeks to correct the widespread linguistic confusion of terms for people on the move.

This clear and concise A-to-Z glossary of words is presented in both English and Spanish and offers a unique perspective on the journeys, histories, challenges, and aspirations of people on the move. Each entry begins with a contemporary or historical story for illustration and then proceeds to discuss the language politics of the word. The book balances terms affected by current political debates such as migrant, refugee, and illegal alien and terms that offer historical context to these controversies, such as fugitive, unhoused, and vagrant.

Rachel will be joined in conversation by the Tenement Museum’s Director of Programs, Kat Lloyd. Together they will explore the histories of migration and the longstanding definitions of words for people on the move that are often deployed in the news.

While this program is free, you can donate to support future programming from the Tenement Museum here. 

When: January 19, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00 pm ET

Where: https://youtu.be/BUDIyGny6G8

This program will continue to be available on our Youtube channel following the LIVE screening.