The annual Latino Communities Conference was underway this past Thursday at West Chester Universirty. Just one day after the Volunteer Fair and at the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sykes Student Union hosted the event to students, faculty, and community members alike.
Advocates for Hispanic social services, Latino and Latina community leaders and professionals from an array of different fields came out and shared their views and recent efforts for the advancement of the fastest growing nationality in the country.
The 7th annual Conference was an all-day affair, giving students ample time to stop by for some of the panel discussions, workshops, and live entertainment.
From 8am to 5pm, nearly all of the meeting rooms in Sykes Union were home to a different workshop covering various topics at the forefront of modern Latin American culture and some topics of the past still worthy of discussion.
One of the most polarizing topics in politics today is surrounded by Latin American immigration policies. One of the panels discussed the impact and potential possibilities of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Act and the impact of the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act recipients. Each of the acts are and will continue to be significant topics as election season approaches.
In addition to politics, speakers with expertise in the fields of business, education and public health fields led hour –long conversation style sessions throughout the day.
One of the conference coordinators said the purpose of the event every year is to usher in the growing number of Latin American college students and graduates in the area. The confence hopes to provide atendees with confidence and exposure to many resources in the area and share some of the same exposure and background information with other ethnicities as well.
Dr. Melvin Delgado was the keynote speaker and held an engaging afternoon discussion with all the speakers, conference coordinators, and keynote attendees. Dr. Delgado is a Boston University professor of social work and social welfare, an advocate for marginalized urban population groups and author. His most recent book, “Social Justice and the Urban Obesity Crisis: Implications for Social Work,” analyzes the major causes of obesity, aside from biology and dieting, among members of urban population.
Following the conference, the WCU Latin Jazz Ensemble led by Director Marc Jacoby gave a live performance and led into a closing performance from the WCU Mas Flow Dance Club.
This Latino Communities Conference was one of the most impressive ones yet. It drew in more sponsors than any of the prior and quite possibly more attendees.
Speakers came from all over the country this year and some of the contributing organizations and offices include West Chester University President’s Office and the Greater Philadelphia Latin American Studies Consortium (GPLASC).
Hispanic Heritage Month is officially underway until Oct. 15 and could not have started off a more productive way.
Shawn Trawick is a fourth-year student majoring in communication and political science. He can be reached at ST819517@wcupa.edu.