Upcoming LatinxConnect Keynote Speakers, Register Today

March 21-23, 2024 is a 3 day conference free and open to all!

REGISTER NOW   2024 Latinx Connect (March 21-23) is a 3-day conference with mostly virtual and a couple in-person events, free and open to all, intended to bring together students, educators, community leaders, political advocates, and others to dialogue about Latinx identities, cultures, and contemporary issues.       The conference features a wide-ranging slate of speakers and programs centered on topical areas such as education, immigration, civil rights, arts & culture, health equity, intersectional identities, gender equity, and more.      Nancy López  Dr. Nancy López is professor of sociology at the University of New Mexico. Dr. López directs/co-founded of the Institute for the Study of "Race" and Social Justice. Her scholarship, teaching and service are guided by the insights of intersectionality--the importance of examining the simultaneity of race, gender, class, ethnicity and other systems of inequalities across a variety of social outcomes, including education, health, employment, housing, for developing contextualized solutions that advance social justice. Dr. López is author of Hopeful Girls, Troubled Boys: Race & Gender Disparity in Urban Education (2003); co-editor of, Creating Alternative Discourses in the Education of Latinas & Latinos (2003), Mapping "Race": Critical Approaches to Health Disparities Research (2013); and, QuantCrit: An Antiracist Approach to Education Equity (2023). Her current research, "Intersectionality as Inquiry and Praxis: Race-Gender-Class-Ethnicity for Student Success in STEM," is funded by the NSF HSI program. Dr. López is a Black Latina, New York City-born daughter of Dominican immigrants with a second grade education rich in cultural wealth. She is the first woman of color tenured in Sociology and the first woman of the African Diaspora tenured in the College of Arts and Sciences (2008) and promoted to full professor (2018) at UNM.   Jason Méndez  Dr. Jason C. Méndez is a Boricua nonfiction writer, playwright, and educator based in Pittsburgh, New York City, and Puerto Rico. He has over 20 years of experience in arts-based inquiry and praxis with a focus on digital media literacy, arts as wellness, critical pedagogy, and counternarratives.  Jason earned a PhD in education with an emphasis in curriculum, culture, and change from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research centers community engagement and development through transformative community partnerships, creative social entrepreneurship, and storytelling. With an MFA in Creative Writing from Randolph College, Jason's writing weaves memory, culture, identity, and the concept of home. Currently, Jason is the Writer-in-Residence at the New Hazlett Theater where he is working toward debuting his new play, Sons of the Boogie; a second coming-of-age story about chasing dreams, self-discovery, and the Boogie Down Bronx. In addition to his artistry, Jason is Co-founder and Executive Director of Block Chronicles; a digital literacy, arts, and research hub focused on examining social determinants of health with an emphasis on Education Access and Quality, Social and Community Context, & Neighborhood and Built Environment. Dr. Méndez has helped leaders and collaborated with organizations in strategizing and executing initiatives, curating exhibitions, and designing research approaches aimed at advancing equity and justice in education and the arts. Maria Montaño  Maria Montaño serves as Communications Director for Mayor Ed Gainey and is the official spokeswoman for the City of Pittsburgh. She is the first ever transgender person to serve as press secretary, communications director, and as the formal spokeswoman for the city. Maria is currently the highest-ranking Latina in Pittsburgh. Prior to joining the administration she served as a Communications Specialist with SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the state's largest and fastest-growing union of healthcare and hospital workers. In that role, Maria helped hospital workers across Pennsylvania form their unions. She currently serves as a commissioner on LGBTQIA+ affairs with Governor Josh Shapiro, is a member of the Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission, and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Phipps Conservatory.      REGISTER NOW Copyright © 2024 Center for Ethnic Studies Research, All rights reserved.