NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
[DATE]
[Insert your information here:
Local Project Director, Title and Organization
Phone Number and Email
Website]
Presentation Explores Immigrant Children’s Experiences in Kansas
[Community Name] – [Organization Name] in [Community Name] will host “Growing
Up American,” a presentation and discussion by Isaias J. McCaffery on [Date] at
[Time] at [Location and Address of Presentation]. Members of the community are
invited to attend the free program. Contact the [Host Organization Name] at [Phone
Number] for more information. The program is made possible by the Kansas
Humanities Council.
[List any details about local event here]
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the children of Kansas immigrants lived
with their feet planted in two distinct worlds. Immersed in the traditions of their
parents, many young immigrant children also became entirely comfortable in
mainstream life on the southern Plains. This presentation explores how these children
often felt pulled between two identities and not entirely rooted in either culture.
Dr. Isaias J. McCaffery is a history professor at Independence Community College and
is past president (and a present board member) of the Kansas Association of
Historians. He authored “Wi Leahre Plautdietsch: An Beginner’s Guide to Mennonite
Low German,” which was published in 2009.
McCaffery observes that “Many thousands of Kansans experienced the unique
cultural dynamics created by growing up the child of immigrants. These children
modified their behavior in the various environments in which they functioned, in
some ways assuming different personas when interacting in ‘American’ versus ethnic
settings.”
“Growing Up American” is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s Humanities
Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and discussions that examine our shared
human experience—our innovations, culture, heritage, and conflicts.
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Page 2 – Presentation Explores Immigrant Children’s Experiences in Kansas
The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs,
serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program, and
encourages Kansans to engage in the civic and cultural life of their communities. For
more information about KHC programs contact the Kansas Humanities Council at
785/357-0359 or visit online at www.kansashumanities.org.
For more information about “Growing Up American” in [Community] contact the
[Host Organization] at [Phone Number] or visit [Website].
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