Spring Break
Inaugural Mexican and Latin American summit to focus on community
Groups will share their history
Jimmy Galloway
Issue date: 6/18/08 Section: News
|
The summit will feature nationally recognized Latino leaders, as well as young and experienced leaders from the state's immigrant Latino community, who will present strategies for engaging in the communities' civic and democratic processes.
"The purpose of the summit is to highlight the work of Latino leaders in NC and support them with knowledge and skills so that they can work through this period of change and growth," said Juvencio Rocha Peralta, president of AMEXCAN.
The featured speakers at the event include Angela Sanbrano, president of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) and Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr., president of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI), as well as Dr. Rebecca Torres of ECU.
"The summit will contribute to the understanding of the root causes of migration and to a more effective integration of Mexican and Latin American immigrants to the social, political and economic fabric of NC," Sanbrano said. "The dialogue, with several sectors of NC, will result in a better understanding of the contribution that migrant workers bring to the region and to the state in general."
"ECU is sponsoring this important effort because we are looking at helping to build organizational infrastructure within the Latino community and recognize that our future students live within those communities," said David Conde, a member of the summit's Coordinating Board.
Although the summit is free and open to the public, registration is required to attend. Persons interested may contact Juvencio Peralta to register, or do so through the summit's Web site at amexcan.googlepages.com.
It is estimated that more than 700,000 Latinos currently live in North Carolina and many Latino communities have experienced firsthand the rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the state. Beaufort County commissioners have stated a goal "to make the county the toughest place in the country" for undocumented immigrants, according to recent news reports.
In Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, NC; a commissioner recently compared illegal immigrants to prostitutes and drug dealers.
State Attorney General Roy Cooper circulated an advisory letter to the state's 58 community colleges that suggests they return to a 2001 policy of prohibiting access to degree classes to undocumented students.
The AMEXCAN is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 with the mission of "fomenting the values, understanding and prosperity of the Mexican and Latino community through culture, leadership, health and education."
This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.
Be the first to comment on this story