Guest speakers Lisa Catalfamo and Betty Getty will present a illustrated talk based on a visit to Coyula Mexico and the families of immigrants living and working in Washington County, NY. The presentation will explore the reasons people come, the rich traditions and culture they leave behind, and the toll of extended separation on families – from an in-depth and personal perspective. Lisa Catalfamo, a passionate advocate for immigration reform, is a local social worker and photographer who has worked on issues of immigration and equality for many years. Betty Getty, a lifelong dairy farmer, is known to local immigrant populations as "Bettalupe", a term of endearment fro her advocacy and educational work with Latino immigrants. She works as a translator and liaison on dairy farms throughout the North Country and the midwest, and has traveled to Mexico multiple times to visit the families of workers. This program supports the new exhibition, The Dream of America, on view in the Folklife Gallery from January 19 to August 31, 2016, hosted by the Folklife Center and funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts - Folk Arts Program.