February 16th, Dayah McCray
On February 16, the Know Your Rights event occurred at the Mosaic Center, in the Student Center at Frederick Community College. This forum allowed the community to ask questions to police officers, immigrant attorneys, and to learn about their rights regarding immigration in America.
The Mosaic Center is a safe space for intentional conversations to challenge the community to create inclusivity where everyone is valued.
“I have been 1 time; I went to the Know Your Rights meeting for the first half before class. I felt pretty good about what I learned when I went to the presentation as a Latina woman. I would go again to another event, the Mosaic center.” Said Sofia Morgado, a second-year nursing student at FCC.
Cody Rosenbarker, who manages the Mosaic Center and organizes its events, acknowledged that immigration can be a sensitive topic. He explained that the goal of this event was to provide information about individual rights, the Constitution, and the law.
During the event, attendees listened to presentations and took notes. One presentation, “Trauma in the Immigrant Population,” by Claudia Hernandez, discussed reasons why individuals choose to immigrate. Hernandez explained her own perspective and how it relates to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and elaborated how the lack of access for basic human needs can influence their decisions in relocation.
Another part of the event, a police officer sensibly hosting an open discussion on how people should have trust in their local police department and answering related questions if necessary to reduce tensions.
In the Student Center cafeteria, there were various tables set up for the event to have students and people of the community meet and converse with immigration attorneys. The immigration attorneys gave legal advice, provided document preparation help for those in need of aid and had pamphlets with more information to hand out to people in need.
This all leads back to the purpose of the Mosaic Center at FCC, creating an environment where everyone is connected and welcomed. Adenike Higgins, a second-year business student at FCC, said “I haven’t been this semester, but I’ve been to mosaic events 7 times. I would definitely go again, I love it in there, it’s a nice welcoming environment for people from all walks of life.”
Laura Sarah, a third-year nursing student contributes, “I’ve been there once and that was during the tour of the school in 2024, I want to go there again if there was a fun event and if my schedule allows it.” FCC has made a point to make it’s students and community feel safe, take action in learning about their rights and freedoms in a stress free and engaging way.
