March 9th, our guest was Katie Dwyer. According to Katie’s website, she is “a writer, project manager, and general creative person. I’m involved with a variety of projects—from helping human rights organizations tell their stories to working with artists and small businesses to develop their websites and market their products”. She is involved in projects such as the Oxford consortium for human rights, the inside-out prison exchange program, and interfaith movement for immigrant justice (IMIRJ). Katie is a very well rounded person and has accomplished very much.

Katie will be teaching a class at University of Oregon spring term called “Liberating Education”. This class will be about the role of education in our lives and society. Katie is teaching this class though the inside-out prison exchange program. Inside-out “brings college students together with incarcerated men and women to study as peers in a seminar behind prison walls”. It is a very beneficial program to both the inmates and the undergraduates involved in it.

Katie had a lot to say about the current immigration laws and how they can harm large groups of people. She discussed a few things when talking to us – all of which were related to immigration to the United States. She discussed immigration policy and her work with people who had just been deported from the United States and were getting off the plane in Honduras. Katie discussed the notion that illegally entering the U.S. used to be a minor offense and is now considered breaking the law. Katie also talked to us about her work on the border between Mexico and the United States and how she helped people trying to cross stay alive in the extreme conditions. Katie was a very interesting and compassionate speaker who had a lot to say.

— Katherine Middleton