The Student Entertainment Board presents journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist, Jose Antonio Vargas. The engagement is scheduled for 6 p.m. on February 17 in the CUB Senior Ballroom. Admission is free for students and $5 for the public. In addition to the speaking engagement, Vargas’ documentary, “White People,” is scheduled to show at 5 p.m. on February 16 in the CUB Auditorium. Admission for the documentary is free for students and the public.
Vargas moved from the Philippines to the United States at age 12 as an undocumented immigrant. He discovered his undocumented status at age 16 while attempting to obtain a driver’s license. Vargas hid his undocumented status for 18 years. He came out as an undocumented American in 2011 in an essay he wrote for the New York Times Magazine.
Vargas won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his Washington Post articles about the Virginia Tech shootings. CNN premiered Vargas’ documentary in 2013, titled “Documented: a film by an undocumented American.” Two years later, he directed “White People,” a documentary aired on MTV about the concept of white privilege and its effects on all cultures.
Vargas will speak on race and immigration and its influence in our society. In an interview with The Huff Post he stated, “We can’t talk about race and divorce it from immigration. And we can’t talk about race without talking about whiteness and what it means.”
