| HUMPHREY INSTITUTE'S JANE ADDAMS SCHOOL WILL HOLD FREEDOM FESTIVAL JULY 31 TO HONOR 40 NEW CITIZENS Forty new United States citizens will be honored at the ninth annual Jane Addams School for Democracy’s Freedom Festival from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 31 at St. Paul Humboldt High School, 30 E. Baker St., St. Paul, MN.
The Jane Addams School is an initiative in democratic education and civic engagement created nine years ago by students and faculty from the University of Minnesota, the Humphrey Institute, residents of St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood, staff of the Neighborhood House, and the College of St. Catherine. The school’s mission is to assist immigrants to learn English, pass the U.S. citizenship tests, and become engaged citizens. Immigrant families originally from 20 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are involved in the school. They meet at Humboldt High School each week and work on their English and citizenship tests with college students and volunteers.
“The Freedom Festival has become an annual ritual to celebrate the accomplishments of the school and all of its participants,” said Jane Addams School coordinator Derek Johnson. “It is significant that diverse immigrant families at Jane Addams come together with and work with non-immigrant community members on a regular basis. This is essential to building community among diverse people in the St. Paul metro area.”
Many of these immigrants take the U.S. citizenship tests every year and this past year 40 students passed. At the festival, the new citizens, many wearing their native ceremonial costumes, will be honored by friends, families and elected officials. Musicians and dancers from various cultural groups will perform during the program.
The Jane Addams School for Democracy is housed in the Institute's Center for Democracy and Citizenship. For more information on the Freedom Festival or the Jane Addams School, contact D’Ann Urbaniak-Lesch at (651) 894-3521 or Derek Johnson at (651) 209-3519. |
