2020
To recognize 2020’s Hispanic Heritage Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we celebrated Latin@-led, gender-based advocacy. We hosted a series of virtual events – live videos, webinars, and TEDTalk style plenary sessions – highlighting the field’s successes, challenges, and future.
We invite you to join Latin@ advocates from across the U.S. in these recorded plenary sessions, as we discuss culturally responsive advocacy, self-care, program evaluation, and leadership. Together, we’re advancing the movement to end gender-based violence through Latin@ leadership.
THE SPEAKERS
THE AGENDA
Week One
Tune in here at 11a CST to be the first to catch the following Week One sessions.
Monday, September 28th
Welcome and Introduction: An Update on the State of Latin@ Leadership*
Speakers: Patti Tototzintle, Casa de Esperanza, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, & Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Casa de Esperazna’s CEO Patti Tototzintle, will kick-off this virtual series by introducing the convening’s objectives, structure, and highlights. She will be joined by barrier-breaking Latinas, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and former Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, to discuss the challenges, successes, and way forward for Latin@ leadership in this movement.
Tuesday, September 29th
Using Technology for Culturally Responsive Interventions
Speaker: Nancy Nava, Casa de Esperanza
This presentation will discuss the importance of culturally responsive interventions and considerations for using technology when working with Latin@ communities. More specifically, it will review the development of Culturaciόn: Cultura y Relaciones Intimás (Culturaciόn) an application created by a community -university-partnership approach between Casa de Esperanza and Duke University. Culturaciόn addresses the risk and protective factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) among adult Latin@ immigrants.
Wednesday, September 30th
2020: How Our Work Has Changed, Part 1 - Advocacy
Speakers: Marissa Kurtz, Casa de Esperanza, Camila Pagan, Casa Myrna Vasquez
This three-part conversation series will explore the way gender-based violence work has changed for advocates, institutions, and communities in response to 2020’s recent events.
The first episode in this series will focus on how advocacy and other on the ground services, like shelters, have adapted this year to address health, safety, and wellbeing to communities in the prevention and intervention of gender-based violence.
Thursday, October 1st
2020: How Our Work Has Changed, Part 2 - Youth
Speakers: Marissa Kurtz, Casa de Esperanza, Nallely Castro Montoya, Casa de Esperanza, Jasmine Uribe, Break the Cycle, Melissa Garcia, Youth Advocate
This three-part conversation series will explore the way gender-based violence work has changed for advocates, institutions, and communities in response to 2020’s recent events.
The second episode in this series will discuss how advocates working with youth are adapting to recent in-person restrictions. They will highlight remote methods for continuing to engage youth groups and the unique challenges that youth advocates are currently facing.
Friday, October 2nd
2020: How Our Work Has Changed, Part 3 - Systems
Speakers: Marissa Kurtz, Casa de Esperanza, Katherine Schulte, Casa Myrna Vasquez, Flor Maldonado, Massachusetts Department of Children and Families
This three-part conversation series will explore the way gender-based violence work has changed for advocates, institutions, and communities in response to 2020’s recent events.
The final episode of this series will explore the ways that systems advocacy has changed as a result of COVID-19. Advocates will outline strategies of using technology and best practices for navigating new policies for survivors to access services.
THE AGENDA
Week Two
Monday, October 5th
Fostering Resilience Among Latinx Youth Exposed to Domestic Violence
Speakers: Susy Mariscal, Indiana University
This session will highlight innovative research conducted by session speakers on Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). It will outline best practices for practitioners and advocates to utilize when working with ACE survivors.
AfroLatina Realities: Understanding and Supporting AfroLatina Survivors and Communities
Speaker: Yvette Modestin, Encuentro Diaspora Afro
This plenary will focus on the lived realities of the AfroLatina diaspora and their resiliency in the face of violence and various issues facing communities. Yvette will share her experience and learnings from the field to support survivors of violence through storytelling, poetry and spoken word.
Conexiones Comunitarias
Daily debriefing, networking, and celebration
Tuesday, October 6th
Working with Immigrant Survivors
Speakers: Rosie Hidalgo, Casa de Esperanza, Sonia Parras Konrad, immigration attorney, Michelle Ortiz Americans for Immigrant Justice, Denisee Cordova Montes, University of Miami, Lisbet Perez, San Diego District Attorney’s Office
This plenary session will discuss critical issues facing immigrant survivors and discuss changes that have occurred over the past several years and the ways that advocacy needs to take these things into consideration. Panelists will highlight challenges and promising practices for advocacy.
Supporting TransLatin@ Communities
Speaker: Bamby Salcedo, TransLatin@ Coalition
This plenary will focus on best practices for supporting TransLatin@ survivors. From our work and feedback from advocates on the ground, we have found that much work still needs to be done when supporting TransLatin@ survivors.
Conexiones Comunitarias
Daily debriefing, networking, and celebration
Wednesday, October 7th
¡En Español! Human Trafficking Assessment for Domestic Violence Shelters and Programs
Speakers: Martha Hernandez & Maria Cristina Pacheco Alcala, Casa de Esperanza
This session will describe the importance of culturally responsive methods in engaging survivors of human trafficking to provide necessary supports. This framework is a holistic approach to assess human trafficking underscoring the importance of survivor trust and wellbeing.
Latino Representation with Maria Hinojosa*
Speaker: Maria Hinojosa, Latino USA
This session will provide an overview of representation of Latin@s in media and society. It is vital to understand Latin@ representation to better develop services and support for survivors of violence and how this impacts help-seeking.
Conexiones Comunitarias
Daily debriefing, networking, and celebration
Thursday, October 8th
¡En Español! Language Justice in the Domestic Violence field
Speakers: Paula Gomez Stordy, Casa de Esperanza, Dilcia Molina, La Clinica del Pueblo, Mily Treviño-Sauceda, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas
This session will highlight the importance moving from language access to language justice, which is providing the opportunity for all individuals to communicate in the language that best fits the language that is most comfortable for them.
Poetry as Self Love with Kim Guerra of Brown Badass Bonita*
Speaker: Kim Guerra, Brown Badass Bonita
It’s always hard working on gender-based violence. Add in a global pandemic and everything that’s happened in 2020, and it can feel overwhelming. So let’s take a moment to heal, breathe, and celebrate our latinidad with Kim Guerra of Brown Badass Bonita.
Conexiones Comunitarias
Daily debriefing, networking, and celebration
Friday, October 9th
Latin@ Leaders en Acción!
Speakers: Paula Gomez-Stordy, Casa de Esperanza, Claudia Medina, Enlace Comunitario, Margarita Guzman, VIP
Latinas face obstacles achieving proportionate representation in significant leadership roles. This panel will engage in a conversation with two Latina executive directors identifying characteristics unique to Latina leaders that represent shared values and beliefs of Latinas, and to understand positive factors and obstacles associated with Latina leadership.
Looking Forward: A Call to Action for the Latina Community with Mónica Ramírez and Ivana de Maria*
Speakers: Mónica Ramírez & Ivana de Maria
Join the fireside chat between leading Latina activist Mónica Ramírez and actress, storyteller, and special guest Ivana de Maria to end our virtual celebration. They will uplift methods for Latin@s to mobilize through community engagement to end violence.
Conexiones Comunitarias
Daily debriefing, networking, and celebration
A FEW NOTES
Why Do You Use “@”?
Casa de Esperanza has chosen to use “@” in place of the masculine “o” when referring to people or things that are either gender neutral or both masculine and feminine in make-up. This decision reflects our commitment to gender inclusion and recognizes the important contributions that both men and women make to our communities.
A Special Thanks
Thank you to the ¡Adelante! Planning Team for their support helping make this event a success!
Cassie Amundson-Muñoz, Communications and Design Coordinator
Cristina Escobar, Director of Communications and Marketing
Paula Gomez-Stordy, Senior Director of National Training and Technical Assistance
Marissa Kurtz, Project Coordinator
Jose Juan Lara Jr., Project Manager
Makeda Toure, Project Specialist
Maritza Valdez, Assist. Director of Training and Technical Assistance
About Our Supporters
This project was supported by Grant No. 2016-TA-AX-K039 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
This project is also generously supported by The Allstate Foundation.
* Events not part of Grant No. 2016-TA-AX-K039 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.