WLS-TV ABC 7, December 7, 2006 –
Illinois Latino leaders gathered in Rosemont Thursday to discuss one of the hottest political topics of the year, immigration. The event is the Fourth Annual Illinois Legislative Latino Foundation Conference.
"Latinos have become the largest minority in the United States," said Miguel del Valle, Chicago city clerk.
More than 3,000 people attended the Fourth Annual Illinois Legislative Latino Foundation Conference. The goal of the conference is emphasized in the title, Mobilizing for Change. Organizers believe Latinos need to be ready for the changes ahead, especially when it relates to recent policy changes since immigration has become such a hot topic.
"By coming together like this and sharing ideas, we are able to say we are not just here to talk about the problem, we are here to talk about solutions and how we can collaborate, and how we, through that collaboration, we can be more effective in addressing those issues on a day-to-day basis," said del Valle.
"It gets Latinos from all over the state together in one room. We also have non-Latinos that are interested in Latino issues that are here," said Sen. Iris Martinez, (D)-Chicago.
The entire Latino caucus from the Illinois General Assembly, as well as additional elected officials, discussed issues that impact the Latino community. The workshops address issues such as education, leadership, immigration, disability, business development and health and human services.
"The important topics that we are talking about today, they deal with empowerment issues, immigration issues, and education issues, all issues that are not just critical to the Latino community but are critical to this region and its future in order to be economically competitive in the 21st century," said Sylvia Puente, University of Notre Dame.
Mayors from Chicago-area communities with large, growing populations, speak about how their communities are addressing population changes.
"We are here to empower our own people and let them know that there's opportunities and you have to have the initiative to work hard and fulfill your goals," said Rep. Edward Acevedo, (D)-Chicago.
The purpose of the conference is to develop future young leadership. Thursday evening, Theresa Gutierrez will be the MC at the banquet where the foundation will be passing out 15 college scholarships to deserving young men and women.
Theresa Gutierrez.

WBBM-TV CBS 2 December 7, 2006
Immigration is a growing issue in Chicago's Latino community. But as CBS 2's Rafael Romo reports, many Latinos feel the issue of education is even more pressing.
As the first one in her family to ever go to college, Raquel Sandoval knows it's not an easy task. "I know it's very hard, but it's not impossible," Sandoval said. The education major at Northeastern University is opening the doors of higher education thanks to scholarships and her persistence.
"All we have to do is go out, look for help, and break those barriers that are stopping us from continuing with our education," Sandoval said.

The Latino education gap was one of the main issues discussed at Thursday's conference of the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus.
"Sometimes you feel like no one believes in you or is pushing you. And here you see all of these other Latinos that are pushing and striving to do their best," said Curie High School student Monica Gutierrez.
According to a recent study, more than half of Latino students in the city drop out of high school. The problem in the suburbs is almost as bad.

"They're going and attending high schools that don't have a history of dealing with our Latino students and those are the place where I think the gap in Latino education is particularly wide," said Sylvia Puente of Notre Dame University.
"It's big challenge. It's totally unacceptable, and we can't rest until that dropout rate is reduced to nothing," said Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle.
Some Hispanic leaders say education, more than immigration or unemployment, is the main pressing issue for their community.
Rafael Romo

During the conference, Mississippi State Senator Willie L. Simmons presented the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation with an award recognizing the foundation's Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

The 2005 ILLCF Conference became the focal point for election campaign activity as major-party candidates for governor, including incumbent Rod Blagojevich and Republican challenger Judy Barr Topinka were among those attending and speaking with delegates.

More than a dozen heads of Illinois state agencies and college presidents participated in the 2005 ILLCF Conference, along with a half-dozen local mayors. All spoke about their communities, agencies and programs for Illinois Latinos.

The list of agency/college heads includes:

• Bryan Samuels, director, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
• Randy Dunn, state superintendent of education
• Tim Martin, secretary, Illinois Department of Transportation
• Jack Hartman, executive director, Illinois Toll Highway Authority
• Barry Maram, director, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
• Judy Irwin, executive director, Illinois Board of Higher Education
• Geoff Obrzut, president and CEO, Illinois Community College Board
• Dr. Sylvia Manning, chancellor, University of Illinois at Chicago
• D. Lorenzo Padron, director, Division of Banking, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
• Michele Latz, director, Division of Financial Institutions, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
• Paul Campbell, acting director, Illinois Department of Central Management Services
• Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, Illinois director of public health
• Ellen Adres, chief operating officer, Illinois Community College Board
• Dr. Christine Sobek, president, Waubonsee Community College
• Jack Lavin, director, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Reprinted from the Nov. 29, 2005 issue by permission of The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Illinois.

by Tara Malon, Daily Herald Staff Writer

Latino leaders, suburban mayors and the heads of 15 Illinois agencies will gather this week to discuss the growing strength of the state's burgeoning Latino population. And they'll do it where the growth is greatest - in the suburbs. A recent study found that more Latinos live in suburban Chicago than in the city.

So when political leaders gather in Rosemont Thursday, they'll be looking for ways to make the most of Latinos' expanding numbers in the suburbs - tackling everything from immigration reform to affordable housing, health-care access and education.

"The growth of the Latino population has been greater in the suburbs than in the city of Chicago ... I think that points to what we can expect in the future," said state Sen. Miguel Del Valle, a Chicago Democrat and co-chairman of the Latino legislative caucus sponsoring the conference.

"The growth of Latinos in the western suburbs, in the northern suburbs, in suburban Cook County as well as in other collar counties is going to continue."

The suburban Latino population climbed to 862,000 in 2004, a nearly 33 percent increase from four years earlier, according to a University of Notre Dame study released last month. At the same time, Chicago 's Latino head count slipped to 546,000 residents, a 28 percent dip from four years ago.

"(The transition) poses tremendous challenges for schools," said Ed Schock, a retired elementary principal and current mayor of Elgin , where Latinos now represent about a third of the city's more than 100,000 residents.

Because federal law judges schools by the test scores of every minority group - scores on exams given in English - schools with swells of students new to English often struggle. And towns struggle along with them.

"It impacts schools, how we view schools and ultimately how we view communities," Schock said. "Perceptions of schools help frame perceptions of the community more than any other item."

Schock was among a group of suburban mayors asked to join the suburban summit, bringing with them concerns voiced by Latino constituents and plans to resolve those concerns in Springfield .

Schock cannot attend the meeting, but Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes plans to make his concerns known. High among them is the dearth of Latinos in political office.

Of the 32 village trustees, mayors and clerks elected to represent Round Lake , Round Lake Park , Round Lake Beach and Round Lake Heights - an area where Latinos represent about 40 percent of the population - one is Latina , Round Lake Beach Clerk Slyvia Valadez.

"Seeing 40 percent of a community sit on the sidelines is a concern for me," said Gentes, who was raised in Guadalajara , Mexico . "People pay attention to elected officials. Your voice becomes perceived as representing segments of the population, you get listened to."

Reaching those who do not speak up is a challenge Waubonsee Community College officials said. The college officials meet Latinos with visits to churches, clubs and social organizations in the Latino community.

About 15 percent of the 17,120 students enrolled in credit courses At Waubonsee last year were Latino. The same is true of the 9,500 students taking Waubonsee credit courses this fall.

"We're in the neighborhood. We sometimes teach at churches; we teach at community agencies. We are on the front lines," said Waubonsee President Christine Sobel, who will speak about alternatives for Latino adult education during the summit. "It's not just about people coming to us. It's about us bringing education to them."

cbs2chicago.com, Dec 1, 2005. A major hurdle for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. is a driver's license. Now the push is on to change that, reports Rafael Romo.

abclocal.go.com, Dec 1, 2005. Video coverage of the 2005 conference, by reporter Theresa Gutierrez.