A special conversation hosted by WAMC’s Alan Chartock featuring Paul Grondahl of the Times Union

FESTIVAL OF “CITY OF IMMIGRANTS”

Where did we all come from? The Capital Region has become a microcosm of the American landscape, from its Dutch origins to the diverse Capital Region of today. This three week festival of contributing organizations and individuals offers movies, exhibits, lectures, and more to enlighten us about our civic origins.

Hosted by WAMC’s Dr. Alan Chartock, the panel includes Paul Grondahl of the Times Union — who is publishing a series on Albany and immigration in the newspaper —  Maseeh Mukhtar, an immigrant from Afghanistan and a Ph.D. student in nanotechnology at SUNY Polytechnic, and Uzma Popal, an immigrant from Pakistan and director of the Muslim Soup Kitchen project.

“It has been a staple of American democracy that we are a nation of immigrants, and certainly, Albany is a city of immigrants,” Chartock says. “We hope to explore our common perspective as immigrants, and we love the fact that we continue our very close relationship with the Albany Times Union in making this happen.”

“One of the key roles of the leading news organizations in a community must be to encourage dialogue on the important issues of the day,” Times Union publisher Rex Smith says. “And if we better understand our immigrant heritage, we can better explore the contemporary challenges presented by immigration. “

This program is part of Albany Pro Musica’s City of Immigrants, sponsored by Bank of America. This special concert and event series explores the cultural heritage of our Capital Region.