This past Saturday February 4th, 2017, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) hosted its first LOFT Charla in the Series “Confronting Race en Comunidad,” at The Raben Group in Washington, D.C.
I not only lead this great event, but I also found myself in a space that fostered innovative thinking across different industries with a focus in issues involving race, privilege, and oppression in the minorities of Latin communities.
The format of the Charlas are similar to that of Ignite talks, where a diverse group of folks from different backgrounds and ages can share their personal stories or professional passions during a five minute presentation. The varied content of the presentations and diverse backgrounds of the participants creates an open environment where participants will learn from individuals in different industries and establish new fruitful relationships among Latino leaders in the Washington, D.C. area.
The Confronting Race en Comunidad: A LOFT Charla Series connected not only Latinx community leaders; but also those who are underrepresented within the Latinx community and do not identify as Latinx, like Juanita Cabera Lopez who is originally from Guatelama and identifies as Maya rather than Latinx. As a result, building bridges among underrepresented communities is essential to the ongoing success of our LOFT Charlas and our communities moving forward.
HHF hosted a Twitter Party during the event where participants, speakers, and other followers were able to engage in the conversation using the hashtag #ConfrontingRace.
The participants ages varied from 17-45 with a couple of them still being in high school. The varied ages of the speakers and participants who attended this LOFT Charla established a comfortable and safe setting throughout the event.
The LOFT Charlas are part of HHF’s workforce development program which includes us growing and mobilizing our network of Latino Leaders across the country. Join me as we celebrate innovative thinking, technology, and cultura through our LOFT Charla coming to a region near you. Our next LOFT Charla will be taking place at the Adobe Offices in downtown San Francisco on February 23, 2017!
To learn more about our LOFT Charlas go here!
