Dozens of Latino leaders in New York gave voice to their ideas and concerns over a variety of issues impacting their communities in a meeting with White House officials on Tuesday.
The meeting, dubbed the White House Hispanic Community Action Summit, touched upon a wide array of topics including education, small business, healthcare, politics, and social services. It was hosted at Baruch College of the City University of New York.
Juan Sepulveda, director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, says the White House is planning at least 30 more Latino summits as part of a nation-wide effort to get administration officials who specialize in different areas other than education to meet with Latino community leaders. It is also an opportunity to let Latinos know what Obama is doing to help the Latino community.
“We said, ‘Let’s take the administration on the road,’” Sepulveda said. “We’re telling people ‘You tell us what the issues are.’”
Obama administration officials met with groups from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
“I hope to make connections here, with stakeholders, to get better access [for the community] to capital and education” said César Cardenas, the director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the New York City Workforce Investment Board.
Another attendee, Daniel Diaz, the parent advocate for the New Haven, Conn. school district, said the White House needs to listen to those outside the beltway.
“And it’s good for the White House to talk to Latinos outside the area of the White House, of Washington D.C., and for us to have a voice,” Diaz said.
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