¿y dónde está mi gente? LatinX inVISIBLE

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EVENT OVERVIEW 

¿y dónde está mi gente? LatinX inVISIBLE seeks to engage all individuals invested in the lives of Latinas, Latinos, Hispanics, Latinx and Spanish speakers in our growing community.

 The convening invites us to explore how visible or invisible is the Latinx, Latino, Latina, Hispanic community? What brings us all together to celebrate, to mobilize, to serve? 

The goal is to elevate our narrative, listen and learn from our history and promote engagement as we preview issues of disparities, beginning with immigration, health and education. We want to invite community voices to cultivate ideas for collective impact towards racial equity.

The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg (FHSP) seeks to support community driven solutions and empower change driven by meaningful action. For the past year, Estrategia Group has been and continues to listen and connect the Latinx Narrative to the FHSPs’ Equity Strategy.

Outcomes:

  • The convening taught me something new about Latinx history and the community
  •  The convening gave me ideas on how to get involved in promoting racial equity

Actions we invite them to take: 

  • Pledge my support for race equity pledge
  • Commit to intentionally connect Latinx community to community building efforts 
  • Follow up with FHSP to share ideas this event has sparked 

The main components of the program are:

A Keynote: Paul Ortiz to elevate through history and examples the ways in which Latinx and African American communities have worked in solidarity towards equity and justice. 

A Panel: 

Abraham A. Salinas-Miranda will invite participants to learn about health disparities that affect LatinX populations in Pinellas County, Florida, and the role of the social determinants of health in the prevention and elimination of disparities. A community-driven, strengths-based discussion on possible solutions to follow. 

Guadalupe Pimentel: will elevate the challenges of borders and belonging through the eyes of a Dreamer to learn more about the cost and path to citizenship. 

Rita Vasquez: will share educational milestones and disparities within the Latinx community inviting community-driven and collective next steps for supporting equitable systems in our region. 

A breakout:

Jaclyn Boland and Maria Pinzon – leaders in the Pinellas and Hillsborough County of Hispanic serving institutions will invite our participants to share their insights on the opportunities and challenges of creating a collective agenda. 

Breakout prompts to prepare to respond to:

As a (racial or ethnic identity)  I feel most connected, seen, visible to our Latinx community when…

If others only knew that I feel distant from the community when… 

As a (racial or ethnic identity) I see how race and disparities are at play in my community because…

I am committed to engaging these issues by….

 

Potential prompted questions

  1. Do you feel like LatinX/Hispanics are “visible” in St. Petersburg? 
  2. Given the current situation: with Covid, racial uprisings, the election, how can we create solidarity? (how can we create solidarity among our differences)
  3. What are your thoughts on the panel discussion? What worked, what didn’t?
  4. How do we go from this event and put this into action? What are our next steps?

 

An Artistic Celebration:

We will close with an artistic celebration of Latinx culture through our Latinx Arts Festival.

¿y dónde está mi gente? LatinX inVISIBLE AGENGA
October 24th,  2020, 10:00am-1:00pm EST

10:00am – 10:15am Welcome Remarks [15 min] 

Instrucciones para interpretación en español!

Randy Russell, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg 

Carl Lavender, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg

10:15am – 10:20am Framing [5 min]

Jessica Estévez, Estrategia Group

10:20am – 11:00am Keynote: Interconnected History [40 min]

Paul Ortiz, Author of An African-American and Latinx History in the US

Moderator: Angelica Jimenez & Nathan Gil

Presentation with time for questions from the audience

11:00am – 11:10am Musical Break [10 min]

Invitation to Latinx Presente! Festival of the Arts

11:10am – 12:00pm Panel: Disparities in the Latinx Narrative [40 min]

Guadalupe Pimentel, Indianapolis Foundation (7min)

Abraham Salinas Miranda, USF Health (7min)

Rita Vazquez, Pinellas County Schools (7min)

Moderator: Sylvia Acevedo & Alfredo Anthony

Presentation with time for questions from the audience

12:00pm – 12:40pm Breakout: A Collective Agenda [40 min]

Jacklyn Boland, Intercultural Advocacy Institute (AKA Hispanic Outreach Center) (3min)

Mario Pinzon, Hispanic Service Council (3min)

Participants are dismissed to breakout groups (34min)

Co-facilitating Facebook Breakout: Fred Rosario & Bianca Mieses

The Facebook live (aka main zoom room) breakout will include the speakers and invited guests

12:40pm – 1:00pm Closing & Next Steps [20 min]

Mi Gente Thought Partners &

Jessica Estévez, Estrategia Group

 

SPEAKERS

Paul Ortiz is director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and professor of history at the University of Florida. He serves on the Faculty Advisory Council for the UF Center for Latin American Studies. He is currently president of the United Faculty of Florida-UF (FEA/NEA/AFT) the union that represents tenured and non-tenure-track faculty at the University of Florida. 

Paul is the faculty advisor for the UF Dream Defenders, Por Colombia, CHISPAS, and many other student organizations. In 2013, he received the César E. Chávez Action and Commitment Award from the Florida Education Association, AFL-CIO. 

His book An African American and Latinx History of the United States was identified by Bustle as one of “Ten Books About Race to Read Instead of Asking a Person of Color to Explain Things to You.” He is a third-generation military veteran and a first-generation university graduate. His pathway to academia included years of organizing work with the United Farm Workers, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFSCME, and many other unions. 

Paul received his Ph.D. in history from Duke University in 2000. He earned his bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College in 1990 and his Associate of Arts degree from Olympic College in 1988.

http://www.history.ufl.edu/oral/

PANELIST

Guadalupe Pimentel Solano was born in Cordoba, Veracruz, Mexico.  Guadalupe has lived in Indiana since the year 1999.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI.  Guadalupe has used her adult life to encourage critical thinking and put the phrase “Hoosier Hospitality” in question. Fully committed to systematically changing Indiana politics, she joined the JD Ford campaign as Outreach Director in 2018. Realizing the only way to remove the former, radical and misguided District 29 Senator, she recruited and lead a team of young people to work for the campaign. By the end, the campaign had knocked over 60,000 doors and emerged victoriously.  Currently, she is a Community Leadership Officer at the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF).  Guadalupe believes in the power of community building, grassroots organizing, and using non-conventional tactics to achieve systematic change.

 

https://www.instagram.com/gpimentels/?hl=en

Abraham Salinas-Miranda is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence at the College of Public Health, University of South Florida. He is also the Associate Director for the Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health at the USF College of Public Health. His research focuses on the prevention of adverse childhood experiences, family violence, and the social determinants of maternal and child health. Among diverse awards, he received the Hispanic Heritage Award from the University of South Florida for Outstanding Contribution to Hispanic Community Made During 2007-2008, Univ. of South Florida, Tampa, FL (adaptation of a behavioral parent training for Hispanic families with children with challenging behaviors).

https://health.usf.edu/publichealth/overviewcoph/faculty/salinas-miranda

Rita M. Vasquez She has extensive experience providing professional development to district leaders, principals, and teachers on effective instruction and assessment practices. Vasquez holds a bachelor’s degree in Zoology, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and

a doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Teacher Education (CTTE) with a focus on social justice pedagogy and culturally responsive instruction from the University of Florida. She has more than 14 years of experience as a science teacher having also achieved National Board

Certification in Adolescent/Young Adulthood Science early on in her career. Vasquez has more than 13 years of school and district leadership experience currently serving as Pinellas County Schools’ Executive Director of High School Education.

https://www.pcsb.org/high https://youtu.be/xcYaFlbjDuU

Collective Agenda – Strategic Organizations serving Latinx/Hispanic Community

 

The Hispanic Outreach Center, serving PInellas County,  incorporated as its own 501 c3 in October 2008, under the name, of Intercultural Advocacy Institute. Provides leadership and support to the Hispanic Leadership Council, a 30 member, multi-agency collaboration of government, education, social services, and the private sector. As part of its founding goal was to utilize community policing principles and apply it to a cultural community, and to reach out to help people in an isolated community that was heavily victimized. https://hispanicoutreachcenter.org/about-us/

Jaclyn M. Boland is the CEO of the InterCultural Advocacy Institute which operates the Hispanic Outreach Center and Hispanic Leadership Council of Pinellas, where she helps to advocate and to integrate Spanish-speaking immigrants and Pinellas County residents into the mainstream of the community. 

She worked in Pinellas County from 2012-2014 with the immigrant and refugee population to develop family literacy programs and to teach citizenship and then went on to receive a Master’s in International Development from the University of Kent in Brussels, Belgium. 

Her research on poverty and gender equity took her to Nairobi, Kenya where she worked for three years for a healthcare social enterprise to build high quality, low-cost community health programs connected to clinics in Nairobi’s urban slums. 

Her passion for social justice, equality and diversity of food, language and cultures brought her back to the United States in 2018 with her 135-pound Mastiff, Zeke, to share her knowledge, skills, and passion back to the community where her work started. 

Since returning to Pinellas County, her work has led her to win the PEMHS PaceSetter “BetheOneTo” Community Affairs Award and be appointed by Commissioner Welch to be the Chair of the Civic & MultiCultural Subcommittee for the Pinellas Complete Count Committee.

Hispanic Services Council is a community-based organization working to improve the quality of life of all Hillsborough County residents by promoting the academic success of children and youth, providing immigration legal services, supporting the development of healthy communities, and promoting leadership and engagement among Latinos. 

https://www.hispanicservicescouncil.org/

Maria F. Pinzon is the Executive Director of the Hispanic Services Council (HSC), whose work focuses on developing opportunities that result in an educated, healthy, prosperous, and engaged Latino community in Hillsborough County, FL.  She has served in this position since 1996.  Maria has over 30 years of experience in non-profit management, program administration, and design.   

In addition to her responsibilities at Hispanic Services Council, Maria currently serves on various boards and committees including Florida’s 2020 Statewide Census Complete Count Committee, Hillsborough County’s School Choice Advisory Committee, Hillsborough County’s Achievement Schools Advisory Board, and  John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Research Advisory Board.   

In Washington DC, Ms. Pinzon worked for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO).  Ms. Pinzon is originally from Bogota, Colombia.  She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Furman University and a Master of Arts Degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University.

MODERATORS

Angelica Rodriguez Jimenez As a Cuban/ Dominican, Ms. Angelica Rodriguez Jimenez has always strived to share her culture and love of other culture where ever she goes. She is a passionate International Educator who graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs a minor in Political Science and a concentration in Religion. Currently, she is working on her newfound passion for a dual degree Master of Science in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technology and Global Sustainability. Over the past six years, she has worked with International students and enjoyed every minute of it. Her work includes advising students on immigration policies, coordinating global campus-wide events, and ensuring international students and scholars are well serviced when visiting or pursuing a degree in the United States. 

As a result of her dedication to international education, Ms. Rodriguez Jimenez has been allowed to represent the USF Saint Petersburg campus and the state of Florida, at the NAFSA Advocacy Day in D.C. In addition, she has been asked to coordinate the Florida International Leadership Conference for the years 2022-2023 after board involvement over the past five years and previously helping coordinate the 2020-2021 conference. 

Ms. Rodriguez Jimenez is above all a perseverant individual who effectively and promptly gets the job done. Whether it is in international education or as a future Entrepreneur, her ethics and values will always carry wherever she goes.

Nathan Gil is responsible for data management and maintenance across platforms for the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. He also assists in streamlining processes and maximizing the potential for technology solutions which is imperative in advancing the mission of the Foundation.

In addition to his core responsibilities, Nathan assists with planning events at the Center for Health Equity and advancing the Latinx Engagement Strategy. He has been trained in the Courageous Conversation About Race Protocol 1 and 2 and attended the Pacific Education Group LatinX Summit in 2019. Nate also attended the 2019 Foundation staff tour of civil rights museums and historical sites to advance his understanding of the history of race equity and social change.

He has been a member of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee of the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG), a philanthropy sector support organization.

Nathan holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of South Florida with a focus in Cultural and Public Health and is currently enrolled in the MBA Healthcare Management program at St. Leo University and hopes to complete in 2021.

He enjoys being a part of the St. Petersburg community and loves the diversity of people, the history, and being a part of shaping history.

Sylvia Acevedo has been with Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services (Gulf Coast) since 2013 where she currently serves as Senior Director of Refugee and Employment Services.  She has over 25 years of nonprofit leadership, dedicating much of her focus on developing and overseeing programs that address the needs of marginalized individuals. In previous years, her work focused on developing outreach programs for migrant workers vulnerable to sexual exploitation and labor trafficking.  More recently, she has been working at the national level to help communities build their capacity around creating welcoming and affirming cities for LGBTQ+ refugees/immigrants.  

In her current role as Senior Director of Refugee and Employment Services, she provides direction and administrative oversight to a full continuum of Refugee and Employment Programs within the state of Florida in 7 counties. At the national level, she oversees technical assistance and training activities provided to refugee agencies in the US. 

Sylvia received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Lynn University and her Master of Laws from St. Thomas University School of Law in Intercultural Human Rights and is a Mental Health First Aid Certified Instructor.

Bianca Mieses is a trained community engagement professional and project manager that has worked in the corporate, health, and education sectors.  She also worked in senior management at a local retirement community, and abroad as an English teacher and curriculum developer.

Bianca is actively involved in several organizations in the Tampa Bay community, YEA Collective, Grow Smarter, Unite Pinellas, and the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce.  She is part of the DE&I Council of the Chamber and sits on the board of Leadership St. Pete and Tampa Connection, having graduated from both programs.

As an Alaskan native,  Bianca is drawn to exploration, and she routinely seeks out opportunities to further her education and experience in ways that allow her to better support her community. Most recently she has been pursuing extra-professional development in the areas of equity and inclusion, honing her skills as a facilitator in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. She is a graduate of the two-part Courageous Conversations Beyond Diversity training on race, part of the inaugural Facilitation Master Class, Michigan State University Facilitative Leadership training, and a DE&I Facilitator for Inclusivity.

Fred Rosario Raised in Tampa Bay, Fred Rosario is the Site Director of Year Up Tampa Bay, a non-profit workforce training program, with an enterprising partnership with St. Petersburg College.  Year Up’s mission is to close the Opportunity Divide through a training model that consists of career exploration, technical and organizational skill-building, and an earned 6-month professional internship with a corporation for Opportunity Talent ages 18-26 years old.  
Fred has 20 years of experience working in non-profit organizations, specifically working with Opportunity Talent, with several diverse organizations, to include, Alonzo Mourning’s Overtown Youth Center, Children’s Home Society of Florida, and Year Up South Florida.  He is passionate about social change, race equity, and focused on creating and investing in real change within the communities he lives and serves.
Previously residing in Miami for 15 years, Fred received his MS in International/Intercultural Education from Florida International University in 2012 and his BA in Liberal Studies in 2007.   In 2019, he returned to Tampa Bay and continues to seek opportunities to connect, collaborate, and participate in the community and the diverse people within it.

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