The Latino Law and Public Policy Conference is jointly sponsored by La Alianza, a student organization at Harvard Law School, and the Latino Caucus, a student organization at the Harvard Kennedy School. This annual conference, now entering into its twelfth year, convenes students, alumni, faculty, and practitioners from a diverse array of private, public, and non-profit backgrounds to discuss the most important issues facing the Latino community today.
This year's theme is Building Bridges: Connecting the U.S. and Latin America.
The Latino Law and Public Policy Conference is jointly sponsored by La Alianza, a student organization at Harvard Law School, and the Latino Caucus, a student organization at the Harvard Kennedy School. This annual conference, now entering into its twelfth year, convenes students, alumni, faculty, and practitioners from a diverse array of private, public, and non-profit backgrounds to discuss the most important issues facing the Latino community today.
This year's theme is Building Bridges: Connecting the U.S. and Latin America.
This year's conference attempts to integrate the study of domestic U.S.-based Latino issues with the analysis of the economic, political, and social issues facing the societies of Latin America. Through the presentation of panels, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities we want to encourage Latinos on both sides of the border to understand the challenges each community faces and to collaborate in finding solutions.
This year's panels will address the new presidential administration's policy in Latin America, as well as the domestic policy that will affect Latinos living in the United States. We would like to analyze the upcoming elections that close to two thirds of Latin American countries will face in the years 2010 and 2011 and their implications for hemispheric collaboration. We will also explore the attempts at combating organized crime and drug trafficking as well as the role of remittances in the economies of Latin America.
Oftentimes these topics are discussed in isolation of one another. There is a long held belief that the issues that Latin America faces are not of interest to U.S. Latinos and vice versa. Our aim is to challenge this claim and to provide a space where Latin Americans can learn from the strategies Latinos are employing to improve their life circumstances within the U.S. as well as to cultivate understanding among U.S. Latinos regarding the challenges Latin Americans are facing and to foster a spirit of collaboration.
