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Migration Stories Help Build Empathy
As part of their “City as Community” Civic Lab work, 10th grade students attended a panel discussion featuring Parker employees sharing their migration stories.
Grade Heads Brianna Ifft and Xiao Zhang invited all Parker employees to participate in this panel in August. The response was overwhelming, and sophomores recently witnessed a robust panel of faculty and staff relating their experiences with personal or family migration. Teachers from the Art, History and Science Departments joined Admission Office staff to talk about:
- When and how they/their families arrived in the United States and the voluntary or involuntary forces that motivated them to do so
- What attracted them to Chicago in particular
- Any cultural differences they/their family found difficult to adapt to, and how they overcome language barriers where applicable
The panel was moving for everyone in attendance. By actively listening to these narratives, students could put themselves in someone else’s shoes—practicing empathy as they tried to view things from other’s perspectives. These stories also provided insight into the evolution of Chicago’s immigrant communities from historical and personal perspectives.
Throughout the rest of this year, sophomores will partner with local organizations that support under-resourced members of the Chicago community, many being immigrants. This panel discussion reflects only the initial steps of a much longer civic journey students will travel.
View photos from the experience here.
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.