‘My life as an undocumented immigrant:’ Pulitzer winner Jose Antonio Vargas to speak at Warren Wilson

Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas will tell his remarkable story at Warren Wilson College March 30. Five days prior to his talk, the college will screen the film Documented, which he wrote, produced and directed.

Vargas made his story widely known to the American public in an essay published in The New York Times Magazine in 2011.

His free public lecture, “Define American: My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” begins at 7 p.m. in Kittredge Theater, at the north entrance to campus.

From the college announcement:

Warren Wilson College’s 2014-15 Spotlight Series continues March 30 with a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and filmmaker who has a remarkable personal story of his own: undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas. His free public lecture, “Define American: My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” begins at 7 p.m. in Kittredge Theater, at the north entrance to campus.

Several days prior, on March 25 at 7 p.m. in Canon Lounge, there will be a free screening of the film Documented, which Vargas wrote, produced and directed. The documentary tracks his immigration journey and explores the plight of other undocumented immigrants amid the hotly contested political issue of “legal status.”

Born in the Philippines, Vargas revealed himself as an undocumented immigrant in 2011 in a stunning and widely praised essay in The New York Times Magazine titled, “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.” He had discovered, when applying for his learner’s driving permit at age 16, that his green card was a fake, a fact his grandfather later confirmed. Vargas decided to hide his true identity in order to avoid deportation, until he felt compelled to write the Times article.

He subsequently testified at a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration reform and has publicly and effectively challenged news media coverage of undocumented immigrants. In 2012, he appeared on the cover of Time Magazine with fellow undocumented immigrants, as part of the cover story he wrote for the magazine. He also is the founder of Define American, a media and culture campaign that focuses on elevating the conversation around U.S. immigration and citizenship.

Warren Wilson College students are eagerly anticipating Vargas’ visit to campus.

“I am excited to have Jose Vargas come to our campus as I think he has a powerful way of conveying his work and engaging others in difficult but important discussions,” senior Ana Lara said. “I had the pleasure of meeting him at the INTERSECT Conference in 2014, and I was moved and empowered by his willingness to be vulnerable and share his story with all of us. As an international student, I am eager to have him further the conversation about immigration at Warren Wilson College.”

Another WWC senior, Amanda Wilson, also is looking forward to hearing Vargas speak again.

“It is rare to get a firsthand account of the struggles of being an undocumented American,” she said. “Hearing Jose Vargas speak about his experiences really made me aware of how many innocent people – especially children and teenagers – are caught in a broken system, and helped me to understand how badly our system needs reform. I’m really looking forward to hearing him speak so that others can hear his story and gain a new perspective on immigration in the U.S.”

The Jose Antonio Vargas lecture is part of Warren Wilson’s Spotlight Series of nationally and internationally known speakers. The series theme for this academic year is “Social and Intellectual Movements.”

For more information about the Vargas lecture, contact WWC Dean of Service Cathy Kramer at ckramer@warren-wilson.edu or 828-771-3774.

For a sampling of Vargas, here is his “Define American: José’s Story”:

Or check out Vargas’ TedxMidAtlantic talk, “Actions are Illegal, Never People: Jose Antonio Vargas at TEDxMidAtlantic 2012”