Over the past decade, the South has transformed and become America's new gateway. Rapidly shifting demographics and the nation's fastest growing immigrant population have fueled both extreme backlash and some of the country's most innovative integration work. As our movement responds to and reflects on the 2016 elections, what can we learn from communities in the South who have been on the front lines of anti-refugee policies, Islamophobia, and some of the nation's harshest anti-immigrant policies? How have immigrant communities organized in hostile climates? How have receiving communities been engaged to process demographic shifts and build more welcoming communities?

• Welcome: Nashville Mayor Megan Barry

• Introductory Remarks: Emmylou Harris, Singer/songwriter and Jesuit Refugee Service Ambassador

• Moderator: Stephanie Teatro, Co-Executive Director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition

• David Lubell, Executive Director, Welcoming America

• Suman Raghunathan, Executive Director, South Asian Americans Leading Together

• Azadeh Shahshahani, Legal and Advocacy Director, Project South

• Elandria Williams, Education Coordinator, Highlander Research and Education Center 

Performances by Chinese Arts Alliance and Southern World Poets

Location: LEGENDS BALLROOM A-G