Rebecca Galemba is an anthropologist who studies borders, migration, Latin America, and the intersection between immigration law and labor rights in the United States.

Why you should listen

Rebecca Galemba is committed to working alongside the people she studies, collaborating with students and contributing to positive social change. 

Her writing on wage theft has been published in academic articles, public outlets like the Colorado Sun, and directed towards informing policies to enhance immigrant and workers' rights. She is currently working on a book based on wage theft advocacy and its challenges in Colorado. Students at the University of Denver have been active collaborators in every step of the project, including as research assistants, outreach workers and surveyors. In Denver, she also volunteers with El Centro Humanitario's Wage Theft Direct Action Team to accompany workers in the struggle for wage justice and collaborate with the Colorado Wage Theft Task Force to inform policy and public solutions.

Her first book, Contraband Corridor: Making a Living at the Mexico-Guatemala Border details the everyday activities and perceptions of people who live their lives straddling the border. 

She also enjoys spending time with my family, baking elaborate cakes and sidewalk chalk art.

Rebecca Galemba’s TED talk