The Fourth Annual Heartland Latino Leadership Conference (HLLC) will be held Nov.6-7, at the new Qwest Center Omaha, 445 N. 10th St. Aura Whitney-Jackson, community liaison, UNMC Community Partnership, is the 2003 HLLC conference president.
HLLC is the largest event in the Midwest that addresses Latino issues. The conference provides access to the latest data on Latino/Hispanic trends and opportunities to reach the fastest growing minority population in the United States. HLLC is the region’s largest forum for professionals, business people, health providers, educators, students, and grassroots community activists to enhance and develop effective networking with the Latino community.
Expanded format
This year, for the first time, the conference will be expanded to two days. On Thursday, Nov. 6, attendees will be able to complete registration from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and attend a panel discussion, as well as grant writing and leadership workshops. On Friday, Nov. 7, activities begin with registration and a buffet breakfast, followed by a full day of workshops and breakout sessions focusing on economics; business, social, cultural and education issues; health and human services programs; and leadership issues. There will be a final networking reception and awards banquet on Friday night.
Keynote speakers
The three keynote speakers for the 2003 HLLC are U.S. Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, the first Latino elected to Congress from Illinois’s Fourth District; Lalo Alcaraz, award-winning editorial cartoonist and journalist for LA Weekly and the satirical magazine, POCHO; and Maria Robles Meier, executive director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Congressman Gutierrez
In a 1999 survey of Hispanic voting patterns commissioned by Univision – the nation’s largest Hispanic television network – Congressman Gutierrez was selected as “the single most admired Latino leader in the U.S.” He has been a tireless advocate on behalf of the Latino and immigrant communities, not only in his own district but nationally. The five-term congressman is chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ Task Force on Naturalization and Citizenship and has emerged as the one of the nation’s most vocal and active defenders of the rights of legal immigrants. His workshops have helped more than 25,000 people take the first steps toward American citizenship. He also is a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and has received the Vietnam Veterans of America’s “Legislator of the Year” award for helping to pass priority health care legislation for Gulf War veterans and legislation to ensure that female veterans receive treatment and care for sexual abuse that occurred while they were in the military.
Cartoonist Alcaraz
Lalo Alcaraz has produced editorial cartoons for the LA Weekly since 1992. He also creates cartoons in Spanish for La Opinion, the oldest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Village Voice, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Hispanic, Latina, La Jornada in Mexico City, BUNTE (Germany’s version of People) and many other publications. He illustrated the book “Latino USA: A Cartoon History;” writes a bi-weekly column for LA Weekly; and co-edits POCHO magazine. Alcaraz recent received his third South California Journalism Award for Best Cartoon in Weekly Papers, as well as the Los Angeles Hispanic Public Relations Association’s Premio Award for Excellence in Communications.
Meier directs Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Robles Meier manages the day-to-day operations and implementation of the priorities for the organization representing 20 Hispanic members of Congress. In 2000, she served as western communications director for the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign. She has been on Capitol Hill for nearly five years working for both the Senate and House Democratic Party leadership. Earlier this year, she was listed in National Journal’s “Hill People,” a publication that profiles influential Hill staff members. She worked at the municipal government level in California for many years and won several awards for public education campaigns that targeted multi-ethnic and multi-lingual communities.
More on HLLC
The HLLC is a not-for-profit organization with the vision of a diverse and vibrant group of Latino men and women volunteers to respond to the challenges facing the growing Latino population in this region. Since 2000, the HLLC has gone from 200 registered participants to the more than 600 expected this year. An exhibition area will be open to the public with exhibits and displays representing more than 50 local businesses, colleges and universities, local and national associations and social service providers.
Registration information
The registration fee for the conference is $100 per person until Oct. 31, after which the fee is $125 per person. Interested persons can register online at http:/www.heartlandllc.homestead.com or contact David Catalan, registration and finances director, by mail at HLLC, P.O. Box 31235, Omaha, NE, 68131. Credit card registrations may be faxed to 402-561-7599 or call Catalan at 402-850-1941 or 402-561-7580 or e-mail at dcatalan@mail.unomaha.edu.
More information on the conference
For more information, contact Aura Whitney-Jackson, conference president, at 402-595-1816 or
awhitney@unmc.edu; Joel Gajardo, conference public relations, at 402-434-7177, Ext. 117 or
jgajardo@nuihc.com; or Joel A. Cota, conference marketing director, at 402-595-3870, Ext. 210 or cotajhome@hotmail.com.