Amid ICE fears, Latinos from around US find solidarity at sold-out KC conference | Opinion
When I was a young editor, I was fortunate to attend the UNITY conference — a once-every-five-years gathering of four ethnic journalism associations: my African American journalists group, along with Asian American, Native American and Hispanic journalists.
I remember it was eye-opening to see all these media professionals mingling, but also finding their own people because, well, sometimes it just feels comfortable and safe.
I can only imagine it feels similar this week at the annual UnidosUS conference in Kansas City. The sold-out conference, “Beacons of Change,” attracted an estimate of 1,500 registered attendees from around the country to highlight Latino solidarity and resilience in the face of what is playing out on the national and local stage.
This year, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement scooping up people for just appearing to be immigrants, the conference is a place for people to come together as Latinos to find strategy and solutions.
It’s also the 20th anniversary for Kansas City native Janet Murguia as CEO and president. This year’s event held in her hometown is important to her. So are the challenges Latinos are facing as the Trump administration heightens immigration enforcement efforts.
Earlier this summer, Murguia traveled the U.S. on a multicity “listening tour” with Latino leaders and she said during its Kansas City stop in June that UnidosUS was “going to do everything we can to protect and defend our community,” from a shifting political landscape.
Since then, that landscape certainly has shifted, even here in the metropolitan area, as ICE agents raided several restaurants and detained employees last week.
So, I made my way to the Kansas City Convention Center Tuesday to attend a plenary session on immigration, where more than 700 people gathered.
As people found their seats, there were smiles, hugs and greetings in Spanish from Californians, Georgians, Kansans, Missourians, Texans — those were just the people I met. For a moment, it reminded me of the cultural journalism events I had gone to. But the purpose for this gathering was serious. Deadly so.
The session I attended, “Ground zero: Community power in the face of unlawful and extreme immigration enforcement in L.A.,” focused on recent immigration arrests and detainment in Los Angeles.
Panelists included a variety of people on the front lines of the ICE raids in LA, such as Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union California, who was arrested June 6 as he protested an immigration raid in L.A.
Miguel Santana, president and CEO of California Community Foundation, and Rudy Espinoza, CEO of Inclusive Action (a lender that provides low-interest loans to the community) rounded out the panel. Clarissa Martínez De Castro, vice president of the Latino Vote Initiative at UnidosUS, moderated.
Murguia, too, was there, opening the session — even though she said that was unusual because, as she pointed out, she had just spoken at the preceding luncheon. But this year was different.
“I wanted to be here because I knew it’s going to be a powerful conversation.”
The audience applauded panelists, especially Salas of CHIRLA and Huerta, who were the faces of those under attack. Salas said she witnessed brutal ICE tactics, and when she asserted that these are not just attacks on immigrants, but on all Latinos who “speak Spanish, or English with an accent,” it resonated with the audience.
Huerta spoke of his detainment for three days without any legal recourse. He recalled the “lawlessness of masked agents without identification.” And he preached non-violence.
“We are dealing with a government that does not care. They are there to bait you in to instigate moments of violence.” He said protesters have to be disciplined and have a strategy.
“Be ready,” he told the crowd.
Seeing it’s impossible to escape recent coverage of immigration raids and arrests, I admit I wondered whether that would be an issue at this conference. Murguia told our editorial board in late July that contingency plans, parameters and proactive steps would be taken to protect attendees, without going into detail — and understandably so.
Upon entering the convention center Tuesday, I didn’t see any police or armed agents. However, convention center security workers were adamant about seeing registration badges, press or no.
The conference ends Thursday, and while I know there will be no automatic solution to what is happening in Latino communities, there is freedom in this opportunity to come together with peers and release a lot of the stress this collective group must be feeling.
As Salas and Huerta communicated to the crowd, this is a defining moment for Latinos. “This is our civil rights moment in this country,” Salas said.
And that, I do know a little about.
