WASHINGTON, PA (November 12, 2021) – The third speaker in W&J’s Borderlands Speaker Series, Francisco Cantú, will visit W&J on Wednesday, November 17. As a former Fulbright Fellow and former Border Patrol Agent, Cantú is the author of “The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border” and now coordinates the Field Studies in Writing Program at the University of Arizona. His writings and work reflect the intersections of immigration, border enforcement, humanitarianism, social justice, and the environment. Many of his other published pieces can be found on the Writings tab of his website. For example, “Ventana,” published in Guernica in 2013, recalls the first time that he encountered a human body in the desert, a story also recounted in his book. You can also hear him speak in videos by Penguin House, PBS, Common Reads, and Politics and Prose.
While Cantú will be visiting several classes and meeting with student groups, he is also participating in a student-led panel interview at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17 in the Allen Ballroom in the Rossin Campus Center, followed by a light reception. This event is free and open to the public as well as to the W&J community.
Cantú’s visit to W&J is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Student Government Association, Academic Affairs, and Conflict & Resolution Studies Program.
Borderlands Speaker Series:
11/2021 – Francisco Cantú
10/2019 – Rev. John Fife (’62), Tucson Samaritans | Los Samaritanos
11/2018 – Bernard Siqueiros, Tohono O’odham Nation
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, proudly located in Washington, Pa., is a historic liberal arts college founded in 1781 that values ethical leadership, professional readiness, and inclusive communities. Our highly customized and intellectually engaging student experience develops professionals of uncommon integrity to lead in an ever-changing world. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.