Are the U.S. and Mexico Becoming One Country?

Our politics and news are all about the borders and divides that separate the U.S. and Mexico. But in real life, we’re becoming more alike. Some 37 million people living in the United States today trace their roots to Mexico. They are part of a giant diaspora so intertwined with American life that its political, cultural, educational, and economic impacts are felt in every corner of the country: In the Sara Lee pies and Thomas’ English muffins manufactured by a Mexican-owned bakery conglomerate. In the music, acting, and camera work of our favorite movies. In fights for social justice playing out in legislative halls. 

Migration is a process of constant exchange. As communities mix, they create new versions of themselves, shaping the politics, economies, and cultures where they land—and forging new connections between where home was, and where it is now. ASU School of Transborder Studies director and professor Irasema Coronado; artist, curator, and cultural consultant Anita Herrera; and Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León sociology professor Víctor Zúñiga visit Zócalo Public Square and the Universidad de Guadalajara at LéaLA book fair at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown Los Angeles to explore the ways these dynamics unite the United States and Mexico today. Moderated by Alfredo Corchado, Executive Editor and Correspondent, PUENTE News Collaborative

This program will be held in Spanish, with simultaneous English interpretation.

Zócalo invites our in-person audience to continue the conversation with our speakers and each other at a post-event reception with complimentary small bites and beverages.