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Forum, festival aims to illuminate Latino community
Organizers seek money from cityto pay for event
By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
The Washington Human Relations Council supports a proposal to bring a forum and festival that focus on the area’s Latino community to Washington in October.
Representatives of the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, a nonprofit group organizing the events, also plan to ask the city for money to help put on the events Oct. 17-18.
“The forum and festival will support Amexcan’s mission, providing both educational/academic (forum) and social (festival) opportunities to further cultural understanding between Latino- and non-Latino populations,” reads a copy of the proposal presented to the Human Relations Council on Tuesday. “The events will also increase awareness of the economic, social, and cultural contributions of Latinos in the community.”
The forum, slated to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, will feature a keynote address by Helen Marrow from Harvard University. The forum — Immigration Realities and Opportunities: Beaufort County Testimonies in Courage — will focus on the economic contributions of immigrants in eastern North Carolina, according to the proposal. Marrow’s remarks will be followed by responses from a panel of four to six members offering information they believe is relevant to the forum. After the forum, a reception will be held.
The forum would target people who are not Latino, but it would be open to anyone who wants to attend, organizers said.
“We will have spontaneous interpretation going on,” Alsentzer said. “We will be hoping for 100 to 150 people at the forum.”
Another purpose of the event is to help register eligible Latino people as voters.
The Community Fall Festival would be held on the green space just west of the N.C. Estuarium the day after the forum. It will include Latino musicians, dancers and food.
“This has been in planning for about two months,” Mary Alsentzer told the council.
Alsentzer and Pat Seibert, who also sought the council’s support for the event, said they plan to ask the city for money to help defray costs of the forum and festival.
“We would love it if we could approach the city for about $5,000,” Alsentzer said. “If they don’t, we are going to go begging. ... Even if we don’t get a dime, we’re going to have this.”
Council Chairman Rick Gagliano said he plans to support the event by manning the council’s booth at the festival.
“I think this is a great thing for the Human Relations Council to help with,” he said.
The National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, the Eastern North Carolina Latin-American Coalition and individual volunteers are joining Amexcan in planning and promoting the forum and festival.
“These two complementary events, the Friday evening forum and reception and the Saturday festival, will raise awareness of the contributions of Latinos to Washington’s economy and to the richness of its social make-up,” reads proposal. “They will advance appreciation and understanding of Latino cultures, values, and traditions among Washington and Beaufort County residents, and provide an opportunity for Latino and non-Latino residents to meet in a friendly, engaging atmosphere.”
By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
The Washington Human Relations Council supports a proposal to bring a forum and festival that focus on the area’s Latino community to Washington in October.
Representatives of the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, a nonprofit group organizing the events, also plan to ask the city for money to help put on the events Oct. 17-18.
“The forum and festival will support Amexcan’s mission, providing both educational/academic (forum) and social (festival) opportunities to further cultural understanding between Latino- and non-Latino populations,” reads a copy of the proposal presented to the Human Relations Council on Tuesday. “The events will also increase awareness of the economic, social, and cultural contributions of Latinos in the community.”
The forum, slated to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, will feature a keynote address by Helen Marrow from Harvard University. The forum — Immigration Realities and Opportunities: Beaufort County Testimonies in Courage — will focus on the economic contributions of immigrants in eastern North Carolina, according to the proposal. Marrow’s remarks will be followed by responses from a panel of four to six members offering information they believe is relevant to the forum. After the forum, a reception will be held.
The forum would target people who are not Latino, but it would be open to anyone who wants to attend, organizers said.
“We will have spontaneous interpretation going on,” Alsentzer said. “We will be hoping for 100 to 150 people at the forum.”
Another purpose of the event is to help register eligible Latino people as voters.
The Community Fall Festival would be held on the green space just west of the N.C. Estuarium the day after the forum. It will include Latino musicians, dancers and food.
“This has been in planning for about two months,” Mary Alsentzer told the council.
Alsentzer and Pat Seibert, who also sought the council’s support for the event, said they plan to ask the city for money to help defray costs of the forum and festival.
“We would love it if we could approach the city for about $5,000,” Alsentzer said. “If they don’t, we are going to go begging. ... Even if we don’t get a dime, we’re going to have this.”
Council Chairman Rick Gagliano said he plans to support the event by manning the council’s booth at the festival.
“I think this is a great thing for the Human Relations Council to help with,” he said.
The National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, the Eastern North Carolina Latin-American Coalition and individual volunteers are joining Amexcan in planning and promoting the forum and festival.
“These two complementary events, the Friday evening forum and reception and the Saturday festival, will raise awareness of the contributions of Latinos to Washington’s economy and to the richness of its social make-up,” reads proposal. “They will advance appreciation and understanding of Latino cultures, values, and traditions among Washington and Beaufort County residents, and provide an opportunity for Latino and non-Latino residents to meet in a friendly, engaging atmosphere.”
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| Taking it to the streets |
tunne rat wrote on Jul 6, 2009 8:55 PM:
that is the biggest propganda word that every came out of butterfields and rino jones mouth in the past hundred years .
just 2 water boys for the obama socalist party , and a hand full of red necks that dont have a clue about whast they are talking about . "