Immigration Past and Present with Dr. Kelly Lytle Hernandez

In this workshop, Dr. Kelly Lytle Hernández explores how U.S. immigration policies, shaped by laws, court rulings, and border enforcement, have developed over time and continue to influence contemporary practices such as immigration enforcement, deportations, and detention. Geared for educators, her talk offers both a clear historical lens and classroom-ready framing to help students connect current controversies to their deep roots in U.S. history, highlighting the enduring continuity and change in immigration control.

About the Connecting Past to Present Professional Development Series:

Across the country, history teachers are navigating classrooms shaped by immigration debates, struggles over race and rights, and questions about democracy itself. Students want to understand these issues, and teachers need the tools to guide these discussions in the classroom.

Connecting Past to Present is a four-part online series that responds to this need. Each session begins with a historian providing context for today’s challenges, followed by practical solutions for applying this content and resources in your classroom, guided by the UCLA History–Geography Project team. Together, we’ll explore how history can help us and our students make sense of the present, and prepare them to act as informed participants in our democracy and civic life.

Upcoming Connecting Past to Present Session Topics & Date
Immigration: October 6, 2025, 4:15-6:15pm PST with Kelly Lytle Hernandez (UCLA)
Reconstruction: October 16th, 4:15-6:15pm PST with Kate Masur (Northwestern University)
Enlightenment & Natural Rights: October TBD
The Haitian Revolution: November 6, 2025, 4:15-6:15pm PST with April Mayes (Pomona College)