The Baltimore Immigration Summit

A Model for Academic-Community Collaboration

Abstract

The first Baltimore Immigration Summit grew from an idea Elizabeth Clifford had, to bring together academics, policymakers, service providers, activists, community and religious leaders, and others working with and for immigrants and refugees in Baltimore. In the twenty years since there have been 10 subsequent summits, and it has grown considerably in scope, size, and reputation, and co-authors Iwata, Rodriguez-Limon, Lonczak, and Valencia-Banks have joined her and others in planning the Summit. As leaders on immigration issues in the Baltimore City and Baltimore County governments, Rodriguez-Limon, Lonczak, and Valencia-Banks represent partners with Towson University in this endeavor. In this paper, we discuss the origin, evolution, and growth of the Baltimore Immigration Summit, and suggest that it is a model for how universities can collaborate with local governments and non-profits to bring people together for educational and networking purposes. In particular, we argue that the format of BIS resonates with the literature which urges us, the academics, who practice public sociology and civil engagement to play the role of “anchor institutions” (Harkavy and Hodges 2012); our role is not disseminating scholarly knowledge to ‘help’ community practitioners, but rather offering resources and continuance in the community as we collaborate with the state and the private sector to serve local communities (Gardinier, 2017). Thus, other scholars and universities can utilize the BIS as a model for effective civil engagement projects to bring about positive social change in their communities. We conclude with tips on how to do so.