CLEVELAND, Ohio - Immigration will be the theme of the second annual Cleveland Humanities Festival, March 15 -April 24, featuring a variety of presentations at more than 25 area cultural, entertainment and educational venues.

Most of the events are free, and include discussions, lectures, plays, exhibits, films, music, tours and more.

The festival is coordinated by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities of Case Western Reserve University.

Keynote speaker on April 3 will be former Mexican President Vincente Fox, who once worked with President George W. Bush to negotiate immigration policy.

Fox, however, has been a sharp critic of President Donald Trump's stance on immigration, and recently tweeted: "TRUMP, when will you understand that I am not paying for that f------ wall. Be clear with US taxpayers. They will pay for it."

Peter Knox, director of the Baker-Nord Center, chose the theme of immigration last year, before it became such a hot topic in recent months.

He noted, "Humanities are a way of looking at who we are, what we've done and created and how we're trying to understand it all. I understand that some people may think it's a politically charged theme, but it didn't evolve that way and we're not treating it that way.

"We're not taking any side of a political question," he added. "We're exploring this fascinating topic in an honest and creative way." 

The purpose of this year's festival, according to its website, is to "explore the challenges and opportunities caused by the movement of people.

"Exile, immigration, deportation, migration--in the history of every nation demographic shifts have been a part of the fabric of civic and cultural life. Nowhere is this more true than in the life of our own country."

 Subjects that have impacted America and explored in the festival include the Great Migration of African-Americans in the 20th century, the recent relocation of refugees from Middle Eastern conflict, the 1492 Edict of Expulsion of the Jews, and the wholesale immigration of eastern Europeans in the 19th century.

  A few highlights of the more than two dozen events in the festival include:   

• On March 23, Henry Louis Gates Jr. -- leading scholar on African American history, literature and culture -- will present the F. Joseph Callahan Distinguished Lecture, which is also the keynote address for the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities' contributions to the festival.
• On March 24, author and anthropologist Barbara Rylko-Bauer will use her mother's story to talk about broader issues of immigration, examining the echoes from the past that are appearing today.  Her mother's story is the focus of her book, "A Polish Doctor in the Nazi Camps: My Mother's Memories of Imprisonment, Immigration, and a Life Remade."
• On March 28, a screening of several, short documentary-style films opens a community conversation about Cleveland's changing diversity in culture and population, due to the arrival of refugees to our community.
• An April 1 a tour of ethnic shops and markets in Cleveland will be offered, including the West Side Market, and Asian, German and Italian stores.
• From April 14-16, and 21-23, CWRU's Eldred Theater presents the play "Aliens with Extraordinary Skills," about a clown from the "unhappiest country in the world" who has emigrated to America to find a place that will appreciate her skills.

Registration for the events can be found on the festival website: //chf.case.edu/events/.

Festival participants this year include the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Cinematheque, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Western Reserve Historical Society, Dittrick Museum, Maltz Museum, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland Institute of Music, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards.

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