CHESTERTOWN — Matthew Peters, director of the Easton-based Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center, is the keynote speaker for the March meeting of the Democratic Club of Kent County.
His topic is the immigration community on the Eastern Shore, and how past and current federal and state policies affect our community.
The meeting is Thursday, March 19 at Sumner Hall, located at 206 S. Queen St. in Chestertown.
The public is invited.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. The program will begin at about 7 p.m., and end no later than 8:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be available.
A brief business meeting will be conducted by the club at 6:45 p.m.
For more information, email the DCKC at info@dckcmd.com.
The Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center [ChesMRC] is a nonprofit whose mission is “to empower people from different cultures to become successful and engaged members of the community.”
Through education, the ChesMRC strives to break down cultural barriers that arise from differences in language, appearance or ethnic traditions.
As director, Peters’ responsibilities include management and development of the center’s various programs, including youth development; immigration legal assistance; health care navigation; language and cultural training; and community awareness.
Peters is bilingual in Spanish/English and has extensive hands-on experience with Central American culture, having lived in rural Guatemala for 13 years.
After obtaining a degree in forestry from Penn State University, he joined the Peace Corps for a two-year assignment in rural Guatemala to work on reforestation programs. He continued working and living in rural Guatemala, running his own organization that focused on international volunteers, reforestation and education.
Peters returned to the United States in 2012 and began work at the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center where he has been engaging immigrant residents and building the capacity of the center to address the needs of the immigrant community.