Hispanicize 2013 and the Friends of the American Latino Museum Host National Town Hall 'Searching for Cesar Chavez,' an Exploration of Leadership in the Latino Community

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On the 20^th anniversary of Cesar Chavez's passing and just months after the presidential election in which U.S. Hispanics cast the decisive votes, Hispanicize (@Hispanicize) and Friends of the American Latino Museum (@LatinoMuseum) gather a who's who of Hispanic cultural, media, entertainment and political thought leaders to tackle one of the most vexing questions Latinos often ask themselves: Who is our modern day Cesar Chavez?  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130327/CL84701 )

A recent Pew Hispanic Center survey suggests Latinos do not have a national leader.  What opportunities are we losing if we fail to have a strong, dynamic national spokesperson, such as Gloria Steinem for the women's movement or Jesse Jackson for the Black community? Or are we doing just fine without one?

In partnership with the Friends of the American Latino Museum - who will live stream this cultural summit to its 325,000 subscribers (including over 250,000 Facebook and Twitter followers) - Hispanicize 2013 (#HISPZ13) will present one of the most culturally stimulating discussions ever witnessed about where Latinos truly stand in America today. Join us for an interactive 'town hall' stylized meeting that will conclude with actionable next steps that may well help change history.  

"With over 50 million American Latinos in this nation, strong Latino leadership is vital to ensuring our community's voice is heard," said Cid Wilson, Board Chair for the Friends of the American Latino Museum. "We are proud to partner with Hispanicize for this panel that will highlight our cultural leaders throughout history while building recommendations to nurture the leaders of tomorrow." 

This special, interactive session will discuss:

• A historic overview of Latino leadership from the Chicano and civil rights movement era to present day
• Industry snapshots of where Latinos stand in the cultural and political map of modern day America
• The complex cultural and political divisions that challenge the Latino community's ability to unite behind just one leader
• A look at what has changed - or not - since the largest Latino voter turnout in U.S. election history and the re-election of President Barack Obama

The MC for the session will be Viviana Hurtado, Ph.D., Founding Editor, The Wise Latina Club and Host, Hispanic Business Today on NBC. 

Moderators:
Helen Aguirre Ferre, Award winning journalist and Host of "Zona Politica con Helen Aguirre"
Fernando Espuelas, Host of "El Show de Fernando Espuelas", Univision America

Speakers:
Maria Cardona, Democratic strategist, CNN Contributor and Principal at Dewey Square Group
Jim Estrada, Founder of Estrada Communications Group, Inc. and Author, "The ABCs and N of America's Cultural Evolution"
Charles P. Garcia, Partner, Garcia Trujillo, LLC and Latino Rebels and Author "A Message from Garcia"
Rick Najera, Writer/Director and Author of "Almost White"
Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "Enrique's Journey"
Leslie Sanchez, Republican strategist, author and founder/CEO of Impacto Group LLC

This special event has been made possible with the support of AARP.

Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino (www.americanlatinomuseum.org; @LatinoMuseum) Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, Inc., a 501(c)(3) incorporated in Washington, D.C., strives to create a museum in our nation's capital to educate, inspire and encourage respect and understanding of the richness and diversity of the American Latino experience within the U.S. and its territories by highlighting the contributions made by Latino leaders, pioneers and communities to the American way of life.

About Hispanicize 2013
Now in its fourth year, Hispanicize 2013 (http://www.HispanicizeEvent.com) (#Hispz13) is the iconic, largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, journalism, advertising, PR, film, music and innovation. Hispanicize 2013 brings brands, media, marketers, celebrities, filmmakers, innovators and bloggers together in a unique creative environment focused on ideas and best practices.  The event is a launch pad for creative endeavors, new products, technologies, marketing campaigns, films, books and more targeting Latinos.  

SOURCE Hispanicize 2013