The Northeast will get a glimpse of the Mexican-American border when human rights activist Enrique Morones speaks at Binghamton University this month.

Morones is the founder of Border Angels, a group that distributes food, water and clothes to Mexicans who walk to America through dangerous desert and mountain regions.

The lecture, which will be held Wednesday, Sept. 24, in the Watters Theatre of the Fine Arts Building, is part of an annual Diversity and Social Justice program sponsored by the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC).

“We look to bring in speakers who challenge us,” said Linda Morales, director of the MRC.

Morones’ lecture will focus on the need for a more humane immigration policy, and will expose the dangerous conditions immigrants must face on the southern border of the United States.

He also created Gente Unida, a human rights border alliance of 65 groups that challenged the Minutemen — a militia of civilians that look for immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border — and successfully shut them down in California.

A native-born American, Morones was the first person to receive dual citizenship with Mexico.

Morales said the MRC supports Morones in spite of political controversy surrounding his mission.

“He is trying to save lives. He does a lot of humanitarian and volunteer work,” Morales said.

She emphasized that students have a right to hear every side of a controversial issue.

“This program is trying to foster courageous conversations, and to not talk about this is an injustice to our education system,” she added.

Several faculty members have voiced support for the upcoming speech, including Professor David Cingranelli, who teaches a political science class about human rights.

Cingranelli identifies himself as a strong opponent of policies that make it difficult for Mexicans to enter the United States.

“We are not a hostile campus towards immigrants, but this will certainly inform students and give them some understanding,” Cingranelli said.

The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. Both the speech and the question-and-answer session following are free and open to all students, staff and community members.