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The first Latino Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) was held on Monday, October 2, 2006. LEAD is a national day of action, organized by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) which takes place on college campuses during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Latino college campus organizations are an essential part of the Latino community’s efforts to bring about positive social change. They also play an important role in helping young activists continue to develop their leadership skills. Many campuses and student organizations are already involved in Latino movements working toward immigration reform, the importance of the Latino vote, and many other issues. LEAD aims to assist college campus organizations in informing and mobilizing their student body and surrounding community on issues that are important to Latinos, and specifically on the importance of young Latino representation in the political process.

LEAD was modeled on an event held last year at the University of Georgia (UGA), named Oye Mi Canto (“Hear My Song”). Oye Mi Canto was staged “to encourage more proactive efforts in recruitment, admission, and retention,” said Darlene Rodriguez, Hispanic Student Association (HSA) adviser and doctoral candidate.

In its first year, 70 different college campuses around the nation held LEAD Activities. Nearly 30 campuses held voter registration drives, and it is estimated that LEAD registered more than 1,300 people. According to Ronnie Rios, director of the Hispanic/Latino Student Affairs at Northwestern University: “The goal is to raise awareness on the importance of voting as well as increasing the significance of the Latino vote in all elections.”

More than ten campuses participated in showing educational films such as: Men of Company E, El Norte, Real Women have Curves, Stand and Deliver, A Day Without a Mexican, and two popular choices were Walk Out and Mi Familia. Discussions took place after the viewing of these films to address the issues depicted. At the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Mi Familia was shown in the University Center Auditorium. According to Angelica Guzman, member of the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, “Our goal is to promote Latin culture on campus. We had a professor lead a discussion about contemporary Latin American issues after the movie.” All students were welcomed and encouraged to watch and participate in these discussions.

Many colleges participated in LEAD as part of their Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations by serving Latino-style dishes and performing dances and plays. In a recent conversation with Celia Maldonado, President of the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. Eta Chapter at Fairleigh Dickinson University, she said that more than 100 people came to see the performance of a Broadway Play called “Platanos and Collard Greens.” According to Celia, “The play attracts Hispanic Americans as well as African Americans. The purpose of the play is to clarify stereotypes of the Hispanic and African American cultures.”

Virginia Tech University served Spanish food at a luncheon where they discussed issues facing Latinos on their campus as well as the community. Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City had folkloric dancing as well as salsa dancing and lessons.

More than ten campuses had events on the subject of comprehensive immigration reform in which the students discussed immigration bills that are pending in Congress and what legislative actions they would like to see passed in the future. Some of the topics of discussion included the “DREAM Act,” the pro-immigrant movement, the rights of undocumented immigrants, and the Migrant Workers Educational Plan. to spread awareness of resources that are available to them. There were also panel discussions about the immigrant population in the United States and forums to educate individuals about the common stereotypes of Latinos.

Thirty campuses hosted events to bring awareness to issues affecting their local Latino community. Some organizations have been working to promote higher education by becoming mentors and tutors for the young children in the community. For LEAD, these campuses dedicated their time to spreading awareness about resources available for students on campus. There were many booths that shared information about upcoming elections and several workshops about issues Latinos face in our society. Several professional Latinos were invited as keynote speakers to motivate and inspire the students to pursue degrees, get internships, and go on to graduate school.

Through LEAD, NCLR coordinated a national effort to highlight the activities of young Latino leaders on college campuses and to encourage more youth to get involved throughout the country for years to come! LEAD will continue to recognize the work that is already taking place on campuses and help bring relevant issues to Latino leaders and the broader public.