Niagara County History Center to present program on immigrants in history & today

On Saturday, July 23, the Niagara County Historical Society, at 215 Niagara St., Lockport, will present the next installment in its “Other Voices” programs on Niagara’s history. “Making Adjustments: Immigrants of the Past and Refugees of the Present” will be held at 11 a.m. in the History Center’s meeting room.

A brief history of Lockport’s early immigrant communities will be followed by a discussion of the experiences and issues encountered by refugees today. Daniel Lawd, board chairman of the Karen Society of Buffalo, will explain how his organization helps Burmese community members in Buffalo adjust to the many challenges facing them, including health care, schooling for their children, and the other necessary resources for their daily lives. Karens are an ethnic group from Burma, which is now Myanmar.

A press release noted, “ ‘Other Voices, Past & Present’ is a series of talks funded by a Verizon Community Benefits Grant through the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. It focuses on groups whose voices have been underrepresented in history and the present. The next program in the series will feature the voices of sanitation workers, and will be hosted by Julie Berrigan of Modern Disposal on Saturday, Aug. 20. Admission to the ‘Other Voices’ is free to the public.”