2009 National Council of La Raza National Conference
Coming to a city near you
Coming to a city near you
NCLR Associate Director Christian Lozano (l-r),
NCLR board member Lupe Martinez (also the head
of UMOS) and NCLR Marketing Associate Samantha
Ferm
NCLR board member Lupe Martinez (also the head
of UMOS) and NCLR Marketing Associate Samantha
Ferm
By Jonathan Gramling
While the recession may put a crimp in many families’ travel and vacation plans this summer, by the
luck of the draw, a major summer attraction will be coming to the Chicago area July 25-28, the 2009
National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Annual Conference. And many of the events are free and open to
the public.
“We have lots of exciting things in store,” said Christian Lozano, associate director for marketing and
outreach at NCLR. “We have a series of 60 workshops, which are accessible for the public. We also have
three town halls, focused on healthcare reform, youth involvement in philanthropy and the economy and
how to get through these tough economic times.”
On April 24, Lozano and Samantha Ferm, a NCLR marketing associated, visited the UMOS offices in
Milwaukee to touch base with organizations in Wisconsin about the upcoming conference. They were
invited to Wisconsin by Lupe Martinez, UMOS president/CEO who is also a member of NCLR’s national
board.
The last time the NCLR conference was held in Chicago was 1997 at the Navy Pier. This year’s
venue will be McCormack Place West, a large facility that can serve the ever growing conference. “Last
year was a record-breaking year for us,” Lozano said. “We saw about 25,000 local community members
from the San Diego area come out. This year, our goal is to reach 30,000 people. This is for all of the events that are free and accessible and open to the
public. It includes a huge consumer expo, a health fair, a home rescue fair, a career fair and a naturalization application processing session. For the registered
attendees from all over the country, we normally see about 5,000 people and we really want to bring that number up this year. Our goal is to really focus on
reaching out to folks who can take advantage of this opportunity to expand their networks and take advantage of professional development opportunities.”
While NCLR is an affiliate organization, its conference is open to everyone with an interest in the issues that NCLR is concerned with. “This conference
brings together leaders of the Latino community and folks who want to learn more about the Latino community and connect to the Latino community,” Lozano
observed. “We have some of our national sister organizations there like MALDF and LULAC attend and they take the opportunity to be a part of this event. We do
reach out to our sister organizations across multicultural lines. We reach out to the NAACP and Asian American organizations as well.”
While the dinners and some other parts of the conference are for people who register for the conference, the Latino USA Expo is free and open to the
public. “It’s very family-friendly and family-oriented,” Ferm said. “Families are encouraged to come and bring the aunts, the uncles and the grandparents
because there is something for everyone. It’s a way for a lot of different businesses, community organizations and corporations to reach out to the Latino
community. Like Christian said, McDonalds is going to have a huge trailer there. There are a lot of interactive opportunities for families to get involved and
engaged in this event. There is a lot of local talent that will be there. There is an entertainment stage. It’s a way to highlight all of the talent in the Midwest and
the Chicago area.”
In addition to the booths, free samples and the entertainment, there are several invaluable services being offered at the Expo. “On Saturday, we have the
naturalization clinic session for people who qualify to get all of their paperwork done for citizenship,” Ferm said. “On Sunday, we have the home rescue fair.
People are actually able to sit across from the lender face to face and hopefully avoid foreclosure or get more information on refinancing their home. Also we
have a three-day health fair, which is a completely free health clinic. There is also a career fair. There is so much going on with Expo. It’s a great day trip and
there is different stuff going on each day.”
For more information about the conference or to register, visit www.nclr.org/conference.
public. It includes a huge consumer expo, a health fair, a home rescue fair, a career fair and a naturalization application processing session. For the registered
attendees from all over the country, we normally see about 5,000 people and we really want to bring that number up this year. Our goal is to really focus on
reaching out to folks who can take advantage of this opportunity to expand their networks and take advantage of professional development opportunities.”
While NCLR is an affiliate organization, its conference is open to everyone with an interest in the issues that NCLR is concerned with. “This conference
brings together leaders of the Latino community and folks who want to learn more about the Latino community and connect to the Latino community,” Lozano
observed. “We have some of our national sister organizations there like MALDF and LULAC attend and they take the opportunity to be a part of this event. We do
reach out to our sister organizations across multicultural lines. We reach out to the NAACP and Asian American organizations as well.”
While the dinners and some other parts of the conference are for people who register for the conference, the Latino USA Expo is free and open to the
public. “It’s very family-friendly and family-oriented,” Ferm said. “Families are encouraged to come and bring the aunts, the uncles and the grandparents
because there is something for everyone. It’s a way for a lot of different businesses, community organizations and corporations to reach out to the Latino
community. Like Christian said, McDonalds is going to have a huge trailer there. There are a lot of interactive opportunities for families to get involved and
engaged in this event. There is a lot of local talent that will be there. There is an entertainment stage. It’s a way to highlight all of the talent in the Midwest and
the Chicago area.”
In addition to the booths, free samples and the entertainment, there are several invaluable services being offered at the Expo. “On Saturday, we have the
naturalization clinic session for people who qualify to get all of their paperwork done for citizenship,” Ferm said. “On Sunday, we have the home rescue fair.
People are actually able to sit across from the lender face to face and hopefully avoid foreclosure or get more information on refinancing their home. Also we
have a three-day health fair, which is a completely free health clinic. There is also a career fair. There is so much going on with Expo. It’s a great day trip and
there is different stuff going on each day.”
For more information about the conference or to register, visit www.nclr.org/conference.