S-R reporter Rachel Alexander to speak at library on ‘Coming to America’ series

Spokesman-Review reporter Rachel Alexander will speak at the opening reception of “Coming to America” at the downtown library on Tuesday.

The exhibit features Spokesman-Review photos and excerpts from a series of articles, also called “Coming to America,” Alexander wrote earlier this year that told the stories of seven immigrants who left countries such as Nigeria, Syria, England and Bosnia and eventually settled in Spokane.

“My hope is to go into the idea behind the immigration series,” Alexander said. “Why we wanted to report on it and the game (news application developer Kai Teoh) and I made.

“The genesis of the series was most people don’t understand how immigration works, so I’m hoping to get into that a bit more.”

Teoh will also speak at the exhibit, and Alexander will be available for questions after her presentation.

The exhibit also features art from Ferris High School refugee students, and the opening reception will feature free food from Mariupol, a European bakery.

The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 9, was arranged and compiled by Susan Hales, who works with Refugee Connections in Spokane. The opening reception begins at 6 p.m. The downtown library is located at 906 W. Main Ave.