The Immigration Debate
Written by Dick Pryor on Wednesday May 11, 2011
When we heard about the National Issues Forum's plan to conduct a series of community discussions about immigration and immigration policy enforcement, we knew we had to follow up with an Oklahoma Forum making that The Big Topic. So, we gathered a group of people who participated in some of the discussions held at six sites around the state - in Ada, Norman, Purcell, Shawnee, Stillwater and Weatherford.
Our guests were not established "experts" on immigration, but thoughtful citizens who participated in a serious discussion about immigration, without the inflammatory rhetoric. They brought their thoughts and those of the Oklahomans involved in the community debates to our studio, and confirmed our belief that the citizens know more and have more legitimate solutions to such a thorny issue than some people may believe.
We tracked the three approaches used in the National Issues Forum dialogue, with good results and a discussion that generated more light than heat, which is our goal every week on Oklahoma Forum. Our guests were: Dr. Frederick Gates, Associate Professor of History at Southwestern Oklahoma State University; Rilla Askew, author and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma's English Department; Ari Nuncio, writer, certified translator and consultant; and Lisa Schmidt, Director of Community Engagement for The Xenia Institute.
Watch the show, and give us your thoughts. We want to hear from you on The Sheet.
Until next time,
Dick Pryor
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