Latinos on the Move
Get your early bird tickets, available till Oct. 28, for the Latino Policy Forum’s 6th annual policy breakfast fundraiser!
Latinos on the Move: Opportunity and Equity for Latino Children will be held Nov. 10, 2016 at the Union League of Chicago. Join keynote speaker Sarita E. Brown of Excelencia in Education, emcee and ABC 7 News anchor Stacey Baca, and this year’s “Champion of Change” recipients, Illinois State Sen. Iris Y. Martinez and Illinois State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, for a discussion about school achievement and opportunity for Latinos.
Multicultural Leadership Academy
The Forum wishes you a happy National Voter Registration Day! It’s time to make sure that you, your relatives and your friends are registered to vote in Illinois!
If you are not registered to vote, click here to register in English or here to register in Spanish. It takes two minutes. DO IT RIGHT NOW!
If you are not sure whether or not you are registered to vote, check here to check.
If you recently moved or changed your name, you should update your voter registration so that your personal information correctly corresponds to your voter profile. This will help ensure that you don’t experience any problems when you visit your local... Continue Reading
By Virginia Martinez, Attorney, Volunteer and Longtime Supporter of the Latino Policy Forum
I recently volunteered with the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project at the South Texas Family Residential Center (STFRC) in Dilley, Texas. CARA provides much needed services and representation to women, and their children, who are seeking asylum in the United States. CARA volunteers serve weeklong commitments to provide services to those being detained and awaiting their first interview with an asylum officer.
It was an eye-opening, tiring and heartbreaking experience. The federal government opened STFRC in 2014 in response to a surge in asylum seekers (especially women and children) fleeing extremely violent situations in Honduras, El... Continue Reading
This op-ed was originally published in Crain's Chicago Business. See full article here.
After Donald Trump's much touted immigration speech last month—the one many anticipated would signal a softening of his immigration stances in order to attract Latino voters—I was left even more puzzled than before about his true intentions.
Trump's rhetoric was softened from prior to his visit to Mexico, but the underly
ing racism was still dripping from his speech. As his followers chanted their support, the Republican nominee went down a list of victims of violent crimes perpetrated by undocumented immigrants from south of our border. While these were terrible crimes, he chose not...
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Dear Friends,
Despite the festivities and warmth that make this time of the year special for everyone, there’s a cloud hanging over the state brought on by the failure of government officials to pass an operating budget at the end of the state legislature’s spring session for the second straight year.
While much of state government continues to function through court orders and consent decrees, children and families are unnecessarily suffering due to the lack of state funding for human services and higher education. According to a recent survey conducted by the United Way of Illinois, nearly 1 million people are without services because... Continue Reading
Here are the latest leadership initiatives happening at the Forum.
Multicultural Leadership Academy
The application period for Year 7 of the newly redesigned Multicultural Leadership Academy has officially closed. More than 60 civically-minded, multicultural leaders throughout Illinois have applied, the most applications received to date. The Forum is currently working to determine Year 7 cohort participants and is set to begin in early September.
The Forum sends a special thank you to leaders who participated in various committees, namely the advisory, resource and selection committees. For updates on the Academy, make sure to check the Forum’s website or contact Jessi Pérez.
American Bar Foundation
Here are the latest immigration updates from the Forum.
DACA/DAPA: The court case that has stalled the President’s executive actions to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA+) and launch the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program (DAPA) will be heard by the Supreme Court later this month. Oral arguments are set to begin April 18. Though the executive orders were issued in November 2014, the case has been in legal limbo since February 2015 when a Texas Circuit Court judge placed an injunction on them, preventing their implementation.
The case has only grown in notoriety with the recent unexpected death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, which was followed... Continue Reading
Here are the latest leadership initiatives happening at the Forum.
Budget crisis: As debate ensues regarding the next fiscal cycle, the Forum is profoundly disappointed the Governor and the Illinois General Assembly have failed to reach agreement on the FY16 budget nine months into the fiscal year. The Forum also issued a formal reaction to Governor Rauner’s State of the State address. Click here to read the statement.
On February 27, The Forum stood with members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus at Chicago State University to voice concerns about the MAP grant cuts recently announced. Advocates and students called on government officials to reinstate... Continue Reading
Here are the latest updates for the Forum's Leadership Academy.
Multicultural Leadership Academy: The Forum is pleased to announce Year Seven of the newly redesigned Multicultural Nonprofit Leadership Academy. The Academy will provide a series of leadership workshops, mentoring and coaching for individuals actively involved in social justice and sponsored by nonprofit organizations committed to social change and/or policy impact, serving communities of colorthroughoutIllinois. Applicants may be employees, board members or volunteers at their sponsoring organization. A distinguishing factor of the Multicultural Nonprofit Leadership Academy will be to acknowledge the significant leadership attributes inherent in cultural DNA. Applications for the new Academy will be available in early April.... Continue Reading
You don't have to be a world leader or a billionaire to give back.
Giving Tuesday is about ordinary people coming together to do extraordinary things.
Every day, leading up to December 1, this blog will feature Forum staff, board and volunteers as they share their reasons for giving.
In today's video, the Forum’s Board President, Sol Flores shares her#MyGivingStory.
Sol is Executive Director of La Casa Norte (LCN), a community-based organization founded in 2002. La Casa Norte serves youth and families confronting... Continue Reading