“Latinos Rise Beyond” is theme of Tri-College Alliance of Latinos conference April 5
Friday, April 5 | 6 p.m. | Comstock Memorial Union Ballroom
The Tri-College Alliance of Latinos (TAL), a collaboration between students from Concordia College, North Dakota State University, and Minnesota State University Moorhead, is hosting its annual conference, “Latinos Rise Beyond,” on Friday, April 5. The event will begin with dinner at 6 p.m. in MSU Moorhead’s Comstock Memorial Union Ballroom.
“Our goals for the conference are to celebrate and embrace Latino culture, lead discussions on relevant issues, and foster connections within the community,” said TAL Chair Jesus Gonzalez, a student at Concordia College. “Another goal is to help our community learn more about Latino culture and life. That’s why the conference is free and open to the public.”
This year’s conference will feature breakout sessions on immigrant advocacy led by Juventino Meza, a government and legislative affairs consultant and a member of the Policy Committee of the MN Immigrant Law Center and Minnesota Council of Latino Affairs, and Patricia Patron, vice president of Programs for CLUES in Minnesota; and Latino entrepreneur success stories, led by Rico Durán, business development director for the Latino Economic Development Center in Minneapolis.
The keynote speaker is Ivette Izea-Martinez, treasurer and member at large for the Minnesota Council of Latino Affairs and the director of Community Impact and Program Strategy at the YWCA in St. Paul. She will speak on “Leading with Purpose: Building Thriving Communities Together.” Originally from Venezuela, Izea-Martinez has experience supporting youth and families in crisis through advocacy and violence prevention initiatives. In addition, she has led community leadership initiatives for youth and adults, facilitated gender-based violence prevention workshops and trainings, both nationally and internationally, and developed programs.
Cultural performances start at 8 p.m., followed by a dance featuring Latino music at 9 p.m.
For more information and to register, visit https://talconference.weebly.com/.