Please Join Us
Tickets go on sale Friday, March 1, 2024
Click below to register and purchase your ticket for the Mary Meg McCarthy speaker luncheon at the Union League Club on Friday, April 5, 2024 at 12 noon.
Online reservations close Tuesday, April 2, 2024 @ 5pm. For any questions or reservations after April 2nd, please call Judy Murphy at 224-392-9361
How Can I Purchase a Discounted Luncheon Ticket? Become a Member of the First Friday Club of Chicago!
It’s easy! A donation starting at $75, is good for one membership, September 2023 through May 2024, and allows the purchase of at least one discounted event ticket ($50) per event.
The Border Has Moved To Chicago. Now What?
Attorney Mary Meg McCarthy, executive director of Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center, will discuss the new realities of immigration for Chicago and for our nation. The busing of tens of thousands of migrants to our city has strained our resources, caused some to reconsider their positions, and also called out the best in our communities.
McCarthy will touch on how the federal and local governments are responding to the crisis and how "immigration fatigue" is taking its toll. She will also address how people of faith have been and can continue responding to this crisis. "We need to recognize these new arrivals as fellow human beings," she says, "and welcome them with compassion and mercy."
More on Ms. Mary Meg McCarthy
Mary Meg is the executive director of Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), one of the nation’s foremost immigrant and human rights advocacy organizations. Under Mary Meg’s leadership, NIJC has become a leading organization dedicated to advancing justice for immigrants. Working with a pro bono network of 1,500 attorneys, NIJC provides counsel and representation to approximately 10,000 low income immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers each year. NIJC’s legal services inform its advocacy, litigation and educational initiatives to promote human rights locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
An expert in immigration law, Mary Meg has testified before Congress and is often quoted in major news outlets such as MSNBC, The New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. As an active member of the American Bar Association, Mary Meg chairs its Commission on Immigration. She is also a member of The Chicago Network, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the Chicago Bar Association, among others.
Prior to joining NIJC, Mary Meg practiced civil litigation and was an NIJC pro bono attorney. Earlier in her career, Mary Meg’s worked in communities throughout Chile as a Holy Cross Associate to help safeguard the rights of individuals under a dictatorship. She received her bachelor of business administration in finance from the University of Notre Dame and her doctor of law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Don’t Forget About Parking
Discounted parking as low as $10 for All First Friday Club Attendees is available in the South Loop Self Park, 318 S. Federal St, Chicago through the iParkit Phone App. For more information on this special offer, click on the following button to get started