Plenary
Friday, August 8, 2025
9:00 - 9:50 am
OPENING SESSION - Being Latino in 2025: Voices from a Changing America
This session is meant to spark the kind of honest, grounded reflections that will frame our upcoming plenary conversations—not with pundits or polished talking points, but with the voices of everyday Latinos. Immigrant parents, students, workers, and community advocates will speak to the realities they face: rising attacks on their rights, deep disparities in health, education, tech access, and economic opportunity. This is where the conversation begins—raw, real, and rooted in the truth of lived experience.
Room: 104
10:00 - 10:45 am
EDUCATION - Roadblocks to Opportunity: The Impact of Recent Policy Shifts on Public Education
This session will examine the escalating threats to public education, focusing on recent federal budget cuts to key programs like Head Start, proposals to dismantle the Department of Education, and the expansion of charter schools and school voucher initiatives. Panelists—experts in education policy and advocacy—will also discuss the impact of immigration enforcement actions, such as ICE raids on schools, on immigrant children and their communities. The conversation will highlight how these developments disproportionately affect Latino, immigrant, and low-income students, and explore strategies for communities to respond and advocate for equitable education.
Speakers:
Texas House of Representatives, District 50
President, National Education Association
Chief Executive Officer, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
This session will focus on how the courts can play a pivotal role in restoring and protecting the rights of immigrants, Latinos, and marginalized communities, particularly in light of recent changes at both the federal and state levels. With policies that threaten to undermine civil rights, from immigration enforcement actions to restrictive state laws, judicial advocacy has become essential in challenging discriminatory practices and ensuring equal protection under the law. Panelists will discuss key legal battles, the role of the judiciary in defending Latino rights, and how courts can act as a safeguard against erosion of these rights. This conversation will highlight the importance of judicial action in upholding justice and equity for all communities.
