Let's talk about immigration - and the future of America; a night with Prerna Lal, Tenzin Seldon, and Tony Choi at Manny's.

On February 12th, Prerna Lal, Founder, Managing Attorney - LAL LEGAL, APLC; Author, Unsung America: Immigrant Trailblazers and Our Fight for Freedom; Founder of DREAMACTivist

In conversation with Tenzin Seldon, Founder of Kinstep, a company that connects immigrants with jobs and a Senior Advisor and Board Member of Earth's Call Foundation and Tony Choi (Twitter @tonykchoi), Activist and Create Writer of Tom Stayer Campaign 2020 with Activist, Program Officer at CZI, Ainee Athar followed by an audience Q&A.

Location: Manny's (3092, 16th Street, San Francisco)

• 7:45 PM: Check-in
• 8:00 PM: Panel Discussion
• 9:00 PM: Audience Q&A
• 9:15 PM: Book Signing & Socializing

WHAT TO EXPECT

~ Immigration and the Future of America will change the way you view immigrants and refugees

Formerly an undocumented immigrant, Prerna Lal was integral in the establishment of advocacy networks led by undocumented youth, which mobilized thousands of undocumented immigrants into pushing for the federal DREAM Act in 2010, ending the deportations of undocumented youth, and winning the now popular Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program from the Obama Administration. A social media strategist and content creator, Lal also helped with the creation of many local immigrant youth groups, providing direct support, mentorship and advocacy to individuals caught up in the immigration dragnet.

As an undocumented law school graduate, Lal was among the first in the country to obtain a license to practice law. Their high-spirited activism also made them a target of the U.S. government, who sought to deport her (2010-2014), but Lal won lawful permanent residency after a long court battle. In April 2018, Lal became a United States citizen.

As a non-profit policy attorney in Washington D.C., Attorney Lal worked at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC to craft federal policies such as extended DACA, DAPA, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal and parole-in-place for the family members of Filipino war veterans (all of which are now under attack by the Trump Administration). Most recently, Attorney Lal served as the sole immigration counsel for over 500 students and their family members at the University of California, Berkeley, single-handedly creating and sustaining the first school-based legal services program in the United States. At the East Bay Community Law Center and UC Berkeley School of Law, Lal taught at the immigration law clinic and mentored a new generation of public-interest law students.

In this event/From the book 'Unsung America', you will discover:

• Powerful theories of social change, and how what seems radical in one era can be normalized in the next

• How the fight for citizenship is interconnected and interrelated to other struggles such as the civil rights movement and the LGBT movement

• Stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things and how you, too, can be a force for good in the world

Doors open at 7:45 PM and the event starts at 8:00 PM.

Tickets for the event are free but space is limited. Please note that only registered attendees will be able to enter the space.