I am on Netroots Nations Panel – Four Perspectives on the Social Change Blogosphere

Date: Friday, August 14, 2009
Time: 4:30pm – 5:45pm
Location: Room 311, David L. Lawrence Convention Center
City/Town: Pittsburgh, PA

It’s five perspectives now. After 3 months of saying no, I finally said yes. It just might be my last panel for pro-migrant work since I won’t get re-invited. I might as well make the most of it.

Seven years after the birth of Daily Kos, the social change blogosphere continues to expand its reach, engaging a growing audience and transforming the way individuals and traditional organizations communicate and work toward social change. Join us as we explore the dynamics of the social change blogosphere from civil rights/pro-migrant perspectives—those of National Council of La Raza, Change.org, Immigration Talk with a Mexican American, DreamActivist.org and ¡Para Justicia y Libertad!.

KetyEsquivel
Esquivel is the New Media Manager for NCLR (the National Council of La Raza). She has over ten years of experience in the non-profit, private and political sectors. She directed Latino outreach for the Clark Presidential Campaign. Esquivel graduated from Cornell University where she served on the Board of Trustees. She is the founder of www.CrossLeft.org and co-founder of the Institute of Progressive Christianity and the Sanctuary, www.promigrant.org. Her commentary has been featured and quoted in stories for the Wall St. Journal Online, HITN, PBS, XM radio, CNN, Televisa and Univision.

David Bennion
David is an attorney at a nonprofit in Philadelphia, PA, where he helps immigrants to the U.S. navigate the complex immigration legal system. He also blogs on immigration issues for Change.org, a social change website.

Dee Perez-Scott
From Migrant Worker in Michigan to Business Woman in Texas, Dee has supported Immigrant and Minority rights volunteering in the community, reading to children and advocating Education in order to achieve the American Dream. Dee’s Blog is: Immigration Talk with a Mexican American. She also writes for: The Sanctuary, Citizen Orange and The Peace Tree.

Prerna Lal
Prerna is a queer undocumented student, organizer, new media consultant and blogger. Her family immigrated to the United States from Fiji, but due to the massive USCIS backlog, she aged out on their visa petition after turning 21. Prerna has a Masters degree in International Relations, and is currently on a hiatus from academic work. During this break, she (along with a number of other students) founded DreamActivist.org (Active DREAMS LLC) — a growing network of undocumented student organizers and allies across the United States who are working on the passage of the DREAM Act and immigration reform. Prerna also serves as an Associate Editor of The Sanctuary, and a Graduate Ambassador for Students for Fair Consideration in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Edmundo Rocha
Edmundo Rocha is the publisher and content producer of Para Justicia Y Libertad, a Latino-centered political blog focusing on the humanistic perspective of politics, history, and society as they relate to the Latina/o community throughout Texas and the United States. He is very active in his community, and has been honored with the Texas Progressive Alliance’s Silver Star Award for Para Justicia Y Libertad! He was also selected for the New Leaders Council’s 40 under 40 Awards Emerging Leaders Award.

See ya there! And ICE is invited.