Tuesday, April 23, 2024: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Please join the LA Law Library book discussion group as we continue our exploration of labor and employment related issues.  The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor & Immigrant Dreams in America, by Saket Soni recounts the civil rights crusade of 500 workers from India who were recruited in the mid-2000s to work for Signal International, an American oil rig builder, under the false promise of a green card.  Upon arrival, the men were kept in semi-captivity in an unscrupulous bid to save money.  The book documents Soni’s uphill battle to free the Indian workers and put them on a path to apply for the green cards they were promised.  This is the gripping story of one of the largest human trafficking cases in modern American history and the workers’ heroic journey for justice.

About the author:

• Recognized as a national expert on post-disaster economies, immigrant rights and the future of work
• Founder and director of Resilience Force, a national initiative to transform America’s response to natural disasters by strengthening and securing America’s resilience workforce
• Co-founded New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice (2006)
• Founded the National Guestworker Alliance (2011)
• Began career as a community organizer in Chicago at the Coalition of African, Asian, European, and Latino Immigrants of Illinois

Presented by: Katie O’Laughlin, Managing Librarian, Reference & Research

Registration fee: FREE.  This discussion will be hosted via Zoom.  Zoom information and link will be emailed to registrants prior to discussion.