Dr. Kathleen O’Gorman, Illinois Wesleyan University, will share her experiences at border facilities where children are detained, Tuesday, October 15, 6:30 p.m., at Heartland Community College’s Astroth Community Education Center Auditorium, Heartland Community College, 1500 Raab Road, Normal.
Working with the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, O’Gorman has made seven trips to detention facilities for children. The Center is one of only two agencies allowed to enter the sites to interview children, to help ensure compliance with the 1997 Flores Settlement, which governs how minors are treated in government facilities.
O’Gorman details the stories of detained children and their testimony on detention facility conditions. Local students will read excerpts from the detained children’s testimonies which are in the public domain.
The event is co-sponsored by Not In Our Town – Bloomington-Normal, a local human rights advocacy group, and Heartland Community College’s Learning and Engagement Team, Student Activities Committee and the Heartland Community College Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.
Not In our Town’s mission is to “stop hate, address bullying and build a safe and inclusive community for all.”
The event is free and open to the public.