Summer Forum: George Kanuck

George Kanuck, Lowcountry Immigration Coalition

George Kanuck will discuss the past and current status of the immigrant community in the nation, state, and our local area.

George Kanuck is a retired Public Health Analyst now residing the Lowcountry since 2007.  He served in the U.S. Navy from 1962 to 1966, in part on board the USS William M. Wood (DD-715) during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  He then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from American University, in Washington DC, majoring in Communications and Political Science.  His career path began with the U.S. Customs Service from 1970 to 1977, the National Institute on Drug Abuse from 1977 to 1985, and finished as a Senior Public Health Advisor with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration from 1985 until his retirement in 2006.  He married his wife, Cheryl, in 2001.

Upon his move to the Lowcountry, George became interested in acting as a Social Justice Advocate on behalf of the local immigrant community.  In 2010, he teamed with Eric Esquivel, long time Hilton Head resident and publisher of the bilingual La Isla Magazine to form the Lowcountry Immigration Coalition.   Eric and George aimed to educate, inform, communicate, and advocate for the Latino population which serves as a significant economic engine in our Beaufort County area. The Coalition has had some successes in opposing State anti-immigrant legislation and supporting the community, but the fight has been uphill.  The biggest task is for the passage of national legislation in the form of Comprehensive Immigration Reform in the future.  

Summer Forum events are free, but advance registration is required. 

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