Immigration conference in Olympia next week

A free Immigration and Border Dialogues Conference will take place May 15-18 at The Evergreen State College in Olympia.

The goal is to discuss those issues and look for solutions. Bridges Not Walls, a local group that works to create bridges between communities, is sponsoring the event.

Even though it’s free, organizers ask participants to register at http://oly-wa.us/bridges/. For more information, go to http://oly-wa.us/bridges/ConferenceSummary.pdf.

Conference highlights include:

--Thursday: Las Mamalogues performs at 7 p.m.

--Friday: 10:15 a.m. to noon, Panel discussion on news from the border, border miltiarization, how border communities are responding and immigration as a human-rights issue. 12:45 to 2:15 p.m., Community dialogues on immigration. 2:30 to 4 p.m., War on the border: reflections from the underside. 7:15 p.m. Community potluck. 9 p.m. Films on immigration.

--Saturday: 9 to 10:45 a.m., Community response to immigration law enforcement. 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Know your rights. 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Iraq veterans against the war. 2:45 to 4:30 p.m. Countering anti-immigration attacks. 8 p.m. Theater production looking at Mexican-U.S. immigration. 10 p.m. Dance.

--Sunday: 10 a.m. Next steps. 11 a.m. Roundtable discussions lead by local community organizers. Noon, Strategy session.