Latino Advocates Descend on Washington

on in UnidosUS Events

This week, NCLR welcomed leaders and advocates from our Affiliate Network to Washington, DC for our Community Leaders Actions Summit. Attendees were treated to two days of workshops and trainings to prepare for a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress. Legendary civil rights activist Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia) also joined the summit to fire up and rally attendees as they prepared for their Hill visits. Below are highlights from the week’s events starting with a powerful press conference we held in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

To kick off the Summit, NCLR went to Capitol Hill to deliver a message to Congress that on immigration, the assault on families must end. We were joined by Fatima and Yeleni Avelica, whose father was detained while he was dropping them off at school. Also with us was Rose Escobar, whose husband was deported because of technical paperwork issue. He wife has been forced to raise her children on her own until she can return. The Democratic Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Sen. Robert Melendez (D-N.J.)

Watch the whole video of the press conference below.

On Wednesday, the Action Summit kicked off with a special luncheon featuring Rep. John Lewis. He had inspiring words for attendees about the need to stay focused and not lose hope in the midst of extreme challenges. We thank Congressman Lewis for joining us and for continuing to inspire a new generation of advocates

Watch Rep. Lewis’ remarks in the video below.

Later that evening, attendees arrived Washington’s National Building Museum dressed to impress for the 30th Annual Capital Awards. This year’s event was a tribute to Latino leadership. Honorees for the evening included Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Ana Navarro, and Mayors Eric Garcetti and Marty Walsh. See some highlights from the evening below.

After an evening of  celebrations, it was time to hit Capitol Hill. Summit attendees arranged hundreds of meetings with members of Congress from across the country. One of those meetings was with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who reaffirmed her commitment to the Latino community and to opposing the president’s immigration harmful immigration policies.

This year’s Community Leaders Action Summit was a successful event and we look forward to the ongoing advocacy our attendees will be doing as they return home.

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