Ashland Center for Nonviolence is holding a series free to the public on immigration titled; “Who is My Neighbor.” This series will be prevalent during all of September and October.

At a variety of locations across campus, there will be a movie screening, a panel discussion, two lectures and even a book discussion.

Along with Center for Nonviolence, sponsors such as Ashland University Religion Department and Catholic Commission of Wayne, Ashland and Medina Counties will also be in attendance.

On Sept. 18, the start of the series will begin with a public lecture given by Brian Hoffman. Hoffman is a Justice Campaign Fellow at the International Institute of Akron. It will be held in the Ridenour Room in Dauch College of Business and Economics and will start at 7:00 P.M. Hoffman has worked with families who are immigrants in the Akron area.

Dr. Craig Hovey, the executive director of the center for nonviolence and religion professor said he is very excited for this event to unfold.

“Immigration is a big topic in our country today,” Hovey said. “Seeing the amount of political climate around the issue, the Center for Nonviolence made this series.”

At the end of the lecture, those in attendance will be creating messages for those families and those who are alone.

“Creating these messages will give them signs of hope,” Hovey said.

On Wednesday, Sept 19, the second part of the series will continue in the student center auditorium, with the film, “Trails of Hope and Terror” will be shown along with a discussion right after.

“Trails of Hope and Terror” is about children who are crossing the border in the southern United States and how a group of Americans helps them along the way.

Hovey said he is passionate about the series as a whole but the movie may put the topic of immigration in, “danger”.

“The goal of the movie is trying to complicate the issue in a goway,” Hovey said. “This includes being able to talk about the topic of immigration as a whole for those who do not understand to those who have dealt with it personally”

The next event in the series will be on Tuesday, Sept. 25 which will include a panel discussion by faith leaders on the topic, “Christianity and Immigration.” AU president Dr. Carlos Campo will be featured on the panel.