Lulac Institute hosts state of Latino America summit (includes video story)

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s largest and oldest Latino civil rights organization, hosted its annual summit last Thursday in our nation’s capital. It took place at the AT&T forum center for innovation and technology. 

Leaders from different topic areas discussed themes that included the opportunities and barriers of technology, the importance of Latino representation in STEM positions and the pandemic’s impact in the community. The speakers and the audience had conversations about health disparities, disinformation challenges and activism.

Panelists encouraged members to be producers and not only consumers of technology, to push for more connectivity and advocate for more diverse and equitable artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.

“These topics that we spoke about today are important to our membership –- Hispanics throughout the country,” said Lucas Martinez, LULAC senior advisor. “I feel that the best way to address this is to meet as an organization and educate our membership and have them be the true advocates at a local level talking about these important subjects.

Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón was part of a panel that discussed the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act, a bill that she is cosponsoring with Florida’s ninth district representative, Darren Soto.

“Many federal laws do not apply to Puerto Rico. Many people on the island are like second-class citizens just because of their zip code,” González-Colón said. “They can take a plane and move to any other state and will be having access to many federal programs and be part of the nation.” 

In July, LULAC will host its national convention in San Juan, where members will discuss issues, policies and elect their organization’s national leaders.

Daniela loves to tell stories. Her favorite ways to tell stories are through video and photography. She is interested in human-related stories, food, and nature.  She enjoys exploring, eating, and meeting new people. She is working towards getting her degree in Broadcast Media with a track in TV Production.