ASU summit to address black, Latino relations

Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy is hosting the Black and Latino Coalition Project March 27-28, a dynamic community summit on cultural identity, conflict and cooperation in black and Latino communities.

The project aims to improve black and Latino relations in a region in which these groups have a shared, sometimes tense, past and present. This project serves as a catalyst in the understanding and delivery of unifying programming to the people of Arizona and beyond in our effort to unite and harness the dynamism and ascending social, economic and political influence of the most populous and visible groups of color in the United States.

The 2014 community summit is comprised of three programs/events:

“Trending Race: Shaping and Embracing Black and Latino Identity” is a documentary film executive produced by the Center for the Study of Race & Democracy and ASU’s Committee for Campus Inclusion that investigates the ways in which blacks and Latinos have fashioned their diverse and dynamic identities over time, with a particular emphasis on contemporary conflict and cooperation. Screenings of “Trending Race” will be held at all four ASU campuses at 7 p.m., March 27, followed by a facilitated discussion and Q&A session. Screening locations: A. E. England Building, Civic Park Space, Downtown Phoenix campus; Cooley Ballroom, Student Union, Polytechnic campus; Verde Dining Pavilion, Multipurpose Room, West campus; and Discovery Hall, room 150, Tempe campus.

The Community Building Workshop & Strategy Session will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., March 28, at Mercado C, Downtown Phoenix campus. Facilitators and speakers include Luke Black of the Arizona Community Action Association, Hortencia Gutierrez, senior career specialist at ASU, and Matthew C. Whitaker, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy.

In the finale event, Whitaker will moderate a Community Conversation with award-winning actor, director and social activist Edward James Olmos and educator, entrepreneur and filmmaker Lasana O. Hotep as they delve into the promise and challenges facing the most visible, populous groups of color in the United States.

For more information, visit csrd.asu.edu/blcp.

Media contact:
Sarah Herrera, sarah.herrera@asu.edu
Center for the Study of Race and Democracy
602-496-2114