Join Professor Llana Barber for a conversation exploring the history, resilience, and future of Lawrence’s Latino community. Drawing on her award-winning book Latino City: Immigration and Urban Crisis in Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1945–2000, Professor Llana Barber traces how Latino immigrants, particularly from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, revitalized Lawrence amid deindustrialization, disinvestment, and suburban flight, transforming it into one of New England’s first Latino-majority cities. Looking forward, she explores what this history teaches us about building an equitable future for Lawrence, one in which the community’s resilience, culture, and civic leadership drive economic opportunity and inclusive growth.
For more information, please contact Dr. Naydeen Gonzalez De Jesus at ngonzalezdejesus@necc.mass.edu
