Posts About Strengthening Leadership

By Diana Mendoza Scanlan

It’s been a bruising year for Latinos nationwide, following a contentious presidential election that saw immigrants cast as villains. The Forum has heard from many in the community who feel disenfranchised by the election’s results. In these trying times, now more than ever your support is critical to the sustainability of Latinos in Illinois and across the nation.

On this Giving Tuesday, DONATE to help the Forum continue its work convening local, state and national leaders to take proactive steps that move Latinos forward by focusing on the issues that matter: A better future in education, preserving immigrants’ rights, fair housing and strengthening... Continue Reading

Posted In: Parent Engagement, Housing, Families & Communities, Foreclosure, Affordable Housing, Immigration, Immigration Reform & Policy, Leadership, Strengthening Leadership

I have read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ more than a dozen times.  I draw inspiration, reassurance and direction from the text.  Given the social dynamics in America today, too many of Dr. King’s grievances still reflect the everyday life of African-American families.  Those confronting injustice today surely share his disappointment with individuals in positions of authority who are more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice. 

This past August, I was part of a group conversation about Dr. King’s text at the Aspen Institute through a fellowship for emerging nonprofit leaders funded by the American Express Foundation. By the fifth day of our leadership program, we had grown accustomed to discussing heavy subjects... Continue Reading

Posted In: Leadership, Strengthening Leadership

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

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Posted In: Leadership, Strengthening Leadership, Representation in Government, State Investment

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

Posted In: Leadership, Strengthening Leadership, Representation in Government

Summer 2016 Newsletter

  ·  Sylvia Puente

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

Posted In: Infant & Toddler Services , K-3, Parent Engagement, Preschool, Families & Communities, Housing, Foreclosure, Housing Education, Affordable Housing, Homelessness, Immigration, Immigration Reform & Policy, Immigrant Integration, Leadership, Strengthening Leadership, Representation in Government, State Investment, Access & Resources, Educators

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

The American Bar... Continue Reading

Posted In: Leadership, Strengthening Leadership, Representation in Government

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

Posted In: Leadership, Strengthening Leadership, Representation in Government

by Communications intern Michelle Jimenez

Latinos hold the power to change the outcome of political elections. Earlier this year, the Huffington Post reported a total of “8.6 million Latinos…eligible to vote,” couldn’t vote because they were not registered. This number intensifies when one considers the fact that, “there are almost as many potential Latino voters (11.1 million) as actual voters (12.2 million)” in the U.S.  In Illinois, the 2010 gubernatorial election was decided by just 19,000 votes. That’s not many—especially when you think about how 361,000 eligible Latinos never registered. 

Knowing this, the Forum is taking action to change the narrative on Latino civic engagement by working with its nonprofit partners and volunteers to register new... Continue Reading

Posted In: Representation in Government, Strengthening Leadership, State Investment

by Delilah Quintana, Civic Engagement Intern

I walked in and instinctively looked around hoping to find at least one more person who I felt looked like me, whose story resonated with my own, whose fears and struggles I could understand— I was looking for another Latino(a).

Growing up in a city as diverse as Chicago, I believed diversity is what I would find among my classmates my first day of graduate school at the Jane Addams College of Social Work. I was wrong. The numbers were small enough to count on one hand, and that feeling of being the token Latina in a classroom began to sink in.

Research findings from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems... Continue Reading

Posted In: Leadership, Strengthening Leadership

If the 2012 elections were any indication, civically-engaged Latinos matter, especially in narrowly-contested races. As the Latino population continues to grow, how can Latinos continue to leverage their political power?

In Illinois, there are more than 300 state boards and commissions in operation. They are comprised of mostly unpaid, volunteers appointed by the governor.  Relying on individuals with expertise  in various professions, these entities are responsible for strategic planning, issuing guidance on federal grants, drafting policy recommendations, providing oversight in a variety of areas, and much more.  While data isn’t available on the participation rate of Latinos on state boards or commissions, it is widely acknowledged they and other minority groups... Continue Reading

Posted In: Representation in Government, Strengthening Leadership
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