In honor of the 50th anniversary of the University of Alabama’s American studies department, a public forum discussing the political and historical meanings and implications of House Bill 56 will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday in 205 Gorgas.

The forum will feature a panel of experts that will inform the public about various aspects of the law.

Isabel Rubio, executive director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, and Sam Brooke, lead litigator with HICA, will serve on the panel. They will discuss the legal challenges the bill poses, the events that led up to the passing of the law and how Hispanics and Latinos have been impacted by it.

The panel will also include two historians, professor Frye Jacobson from Yale University and professor Sarah Cornell from the University of New Mexico, who will discuss the historical aspects of immigration within the Latino and Hispanic communities.

Alabama’s immigration law has gained national attention and has become a phenomenon, with other states adopting similar laws, said Josh Rothman, director of the Summersell Center for the Study of the South.

“For better or for worse, this law has put Alabama on the map,” he said. “Given the importance of this, we thought it would be a good idea to create an event with some of the players involved to come talk with us about what is going on.”

Lynne Adrian, American studies department chair, hopes that the forum will help people understand the impact of the law.

“I hope people will understand more thoroughly why this law was passed, what effects it’s having and whether or not they want to support this type of bill,” she said.

Michael Innis-Jimenez, assistant professor of American studies at the University, said the law has subjected numerous individuals to racial profiling.

“It is how you look in a lot of places,” he said. “If you are brown then you are going to spend most of your time proving that you are American.”

Innis-Jimenez said the goal of this forum is to get people talking about this law.

“We want to get people thinking beyond the political rhetoric of today and analyze why this is going on and how we can fix immigration systems in the U.S.,” he said.

For more information, contact Lynne Adrian at [email protected].

[IF YOU GO]

What: HB 56 roundtable discussion

When: tomorrow, March 27, at 5 p.m.

Where: Gorgas room 205