The Fourth Annual Heartland Latino Leadership Conference (HLLC) will
be held in Omaha on Nov.6-7, 2003, 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 regions largest forum for professionals, business
people, health providers, educators, students, and grassroots community
activists to enhance and develop effective networking with the Latino community.
This year the conference will be expanded to two days for the first
time. 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.
The three keynote speakers for the 2003 HLLC are U.S. Representative
Luis V. Gutierrez, the first Latino elected to Congress from Illinoiss
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.
In a 1999 survey of Hispanic voting patterns commissioned by Univision
the nations 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 nations 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 is also a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee
and has received the Vietnam Veterans of Americas 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.
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 (Germanys 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 Associations Premio Award for Excellence in Communications.
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 Journals 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.
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 more than 600 expected
this year. An exhibition area will be open to the public with exhibits
and displays representing more that 50 local businesses, colleges and universities,
local and national associations and social service providers.
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
Mr. Catalan at 402-850-1941 or 402-561-7580 or e-mail at dcatalan@mail.unomaha.edu.
For further 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.