Kent State Holds Third Annual Hablemos (Let’s Talk) Conference on April 19

Kent State University organizations the Latino Networking Caucus (LNC) and the Spanish and Latino Student Association (SALSA) proudly invite the community to the third annual Hablemos (Let’s Talk) Conference in the Kent Student Center on April 19. Registration and check-in for the conference begins at 9:30 a.m.

LNC and SALSA have made Hablemos an annual spring event for the campus community.

“Hispanics are the largest minority population in the United States, therefore these types of conferences that focus on Hispanic/Latino issues are significantly important,” said T. David Garcia, Kent State’s associate vice president for enrollment management and chair of the LNC. “I believe our society needs to have more constructive dialogues related to many issues. Hablemos (Let’s Talk) allows people to share their thoughts and ideas related to the topics selected for the conference.”

The conference’s first speaker is Juan Andrade Jr., Ph.D., president of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute located in Chicago. Andrade will address the socioeconomic and political impact Latinos play in our society. In addition, he will provide best practices for organizations to follow with this emerging population.

The second speaker of the conference is Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, the sole representative in Congress of Puerto Rico. Pierluisi will follow Andrade’s presentation. Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences along with the Multicultural Center are sponsoring a keynote address and panel discussion regarding the possibility of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state. Pierluisi will provide the keynote address, and a panelist of experts will follow with more discussion on the topic.

The conference sessions are open to anyone to attend, but reservations for the luncheon is required and can be made by sending an email to lnc@kent.edu. Space for the luncheon is limited. Reservations will be accepted until Tuesday, April 16.

Registration and check-in begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. The conference opens with Andrade’s speech. The luncheon takes place in room 306 of the Kent Student Center. The conference will close with Pierluisi and panel discussion back in the Kent Student Center Kiva.

For more information, call Garcia at 330-672-4050.

# # #

Media Contacts:
T. David Garcia, tgarcia5@kent.edu, 330-672-4050
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595