Immigration Matters: Movements, Visions, and Strategies for a Progressive Future
Edited by Ruth Milkman, Deepak Bhargava, and Penny Lewis
According to the editors of this collection of sixteen timely essays, “during the past decade, right-wing nativists have stoked popular hostility to the nation’s foreign-born population, forcing the immigrant rights movement into a defensive posture. In the Trump years, preoccupied with crisis upon crisis, advocates had few opportunities to consider questions of long-term policy or future strategy. Now is the time for a reset.” Immigration Matters offers a new, actionable vision for immigration policy. It brings together key movement leaders and academics to share cutting-edge approaches to the urgent issues facing the immigrant community, along with fresh solutions to vexing questions of so-called “future flows” that have bedeviled policy makers for decades. The book also explores the contributions of immigrants to the nation’s identity, its economy, and progressive movements for social change. Immigration Matters delves into a variety of topics including new ways to frame immigration issues, fresh thinking on key aspects of policy, challenges of integration, workers’ rights, family reunification, legalization, paths to citizenship, and humane enforcement.
The perfect handbook for immigration activists, scholars, policy makers, and anyone who cares about one of the most contentious issues of our age, Immigration Matters makes accessible an immigration policy that both remediates the harm done to immigrant workers and communities under Trump and advances a bold new vision for the future. In a review, Julián Castro, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2014–2017), argues “For too long, politicians have stoked nativism and weaponized our immigration system to divide people. Democrats and progressives shouldn’t be afraid to put forward a bold, forward-thinking vision for immigration that is rooted in common sense and compassion, instead of cruelty. Immigration Matters helps illuminate that vision and provides a path forward for achieving it.”
The book includes essays by immigration activists from People’s Action, the National Immigration Law Center, United We Dream, UNITE HERE, and Congressional Representative Pramila Jayapal (Dem-WA). Ruth Milkman is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center and the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. Deepak Bhargava is a Distinguished Lecturer in Urban Studies at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and was previously president of the Center for Community Change. Penny Lewis is an associate professor of labor studies at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies.
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As we approach 2020 and beyond, equipping today’s young learners to confront deeply rooted systemic challenges is more crucial than ever. From systemic racism and severe environmental crises to stark political divides and future pandemics, our social fabric and health policies will be rigorously tested. What better foundation than social studies education? Two experienced educators reveal in their compelling guide how elementary social studies can move beyond common pitfalls of normalization, idealization, hero-worship, and dramatization—offering creative, anti-oppression methods that empower teachers, curriculum designers, and students alike to challenge narratives that sustain inequality.
Complementing this, Alan Singer’s interdisciplinary work on climate history—No Planet B—delivers a vital resource for high school and introductory college courses. Singer deftly connects earth’s geological past, climate’s influence on human evolution and early civilizations, and the pressing climate activism required today. His accessible chapters explore everything from past mass extinctions and extreme heat to the social dimensions of climate denial and the intersections of capitalism and climate action, providing rich context for understanding how history informs our response to the climate emergency.
In the historical arena, Irish Famine Heroes, edited by Christine Kinealy, Gerard Moran, and Jason King, offers a poignant collection illuminating the humanitarian responses to the 19th-century Irish Great Famine. The book highlights individuals and groups—from Quakers and Polish exiles to American aid workers—whose courage and compassion transcended political indifference and colonial neglect. It connects historical famine relief to contemporary global crises, reminding readers of the power of empathy and solidarity in the face of systemic oppression.
Finally, Immigration Matters: Movements, Visions, and Strategies for a Progressive Future addresses the urgent need to rethink immigration policy amid rising right-wing nationalism and backlash. Edited by Ruth Milkman, Deepak Bhargava, and Penny Lewis, this anthology brings together voices from activists, scholars, and policymakers who offer practical, humane visions for immigration reform grounded in worker rights, family reunification, and pathways to citizenship. This collection challenges divisive narratives and provides a hopeful roadmap for inclusive, justice-driven immigration policy.
Together, these works create a powerful multidisciplinary toolkit for educators, students, and advocates committed to fostering critical thinking, empathy, and transformative action on the most urgent social issues of our time.
For more resources and information, visit https://www.niczyn.com
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