Immigration in Los Angeles is the topic of the newest UCLA Data for Democracy brief, titled “Immigration in L.A.” Part of the UCLA Centennial Initiative celebrating the 100th anniversary of UCLA, Data for Democracy in L.A. gathers and shares research with K-12 students, teachers and schools across Los Angeles. The briefs offer students and schools access to charts, graphs, maps and other information from UCLA research centers on issues that impact the lives of students and their families. Students also have access to an online tool called “Padlet” that offers the opportunity to share their ideas and work.

The newest brief on immigration offers resources to help students to examine the patterns of migration to California and Los Angeles and the legal issues related to immigration. The brief also considers the school-based effects of national political rhetoric and national immigration policy and explores how youth civic action can welcome and support newcomers and foster democracy. Students are also invited to narrate their own stories of migration and share insights about the people, places, and practices that can make Los Angeles schools and neighborhoods welcoming for all. 

“Migration is our history. It’s a story of how Los Angeles came to be in its present form,” said Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Wasserman Dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. “We need to normalize immigration. Then, we need to acknowledge the enormous resources that immigrants bring to our society.”

Read the full story on Ampersand.