2009 DC LATINO INAUGURAL GALA CELEBRATION

 Community   Mon, January 12, 2009 09:04 PM
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Washington, DC  - Please join the Honorary Host Committee, Community Partners and the Organizing Committee, on Saturday  January 17, 2009, as we celebrate the Hispanic vote and the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. This Inaugural Gala Celebration will be hosted at the Carlos Rosario International Charter School. The event will be a formal Dinner Gala with an Awards Ceremony that will bring Influential figures, both local and national, to the heart of the community.  For more information, please visit http://www.latinoinauguralgala.com. Sponsorship opportunities and a limited number of tickets are available, to get your tickets visit the website. 

DATE:      Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 

WHERE:    Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School

               1100 Harvard St, NW, Washington, DC 20009 

TIME:       7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Special tribute to Legendary Producer, Musician, Bandleader Maestro Johnny Pacheco with special guest Edward James Olmos

Maestro Johnny Pacheco, producer, musician, bandleader 
Maestro Pacheco is one of the most influential figures in Salsa music.   For decades, Johnny Pacheco has been at the center of the Latin music universe. His nine Grammy nominations, ten Gold records and numerous awards pay tribute to his creative talent as composer, arranger, bandleader, and producer. Moreover, he is the pioneer of an unforgettable musical era that changed the face of tropical music history, the Fania All-Stars era.
Throughout his 40-year involvement with the development of Latin music, Johnny Pacheco has received many kudos for his extraordinary genius. In November of 1998, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was the recipient of the Bobby Capo' Lifetime Achievement Award, awarded by Governor George Pataki. In 1996 the president of the Dominican Republic, Joaquin Balaguer bestowed him with the prestigious Presidential Medal of Honor. In addition, Pacheco was presented with the First International Dominican Artist Award from the distinguished Casandra Awards. In June 1996, Johnny Pacheco was the first Latin music producer to receive the NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) Governor's Award in New York City.

Pacheco's pioneering musical approach has made him one of the most solicited producers in Latin music. He has worked with many of the best Salsa artists like Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ruben Blades, Cheo Feliciano, and Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez.

He has written more than 150 songs and most of them are now classics. Among them are "La Dicha Mia", "Quitate Tu Pa' Ponerme Yo", "Acuyuye", "El Rey de la Puntualidad", and Tito Puente's "El Numero Cien". Pacheco has also been inspirational to the younger generations.He recorded and performed with the group DLG as a guest artist in one of his own compositions. Rap artist Mangu asked this Latin legend to write arrangements, sing chorus, and play the flute in his album Calle Luna Y Calle Sol. Mr. Pacheco has also produced music for feature films. He was the musical director of the film, Our Latin Thing, the first film about Salsa and its influence on New York Latinos. In 1974, he worked on a second film entitled Salsa. During the 1980s, he wrote the musical scores and themes for the film Mondo New York and Something Wild. The last one was in collaboration with David Byrne, leader of the group Talking Heads. His most recent work in the movie industry was the feature film The Mambo Kings released by Warner Brothers.

Edward James Olmos, Actor, Director  
Edward James Olmos is an Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated American actor and director. He is an actor with a profound social conscience. Having performed in memorable roles on stage, television and in films, Olmos is most dedicated to doing what he can to encourage disadvantaged youth to work at improving their lot in life. On the screen, Olmos has been featured in movies such as Blade Runner, Stand and Deliver (for which he won an Oscar nomination, and Selena.  He received both an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Series and a Golden Globe award for his role as Lt. Martin Castillo, in Miami Vice. Other memorable TV performances include Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills, The Burning Season, Twelve Angry Men, and The West Wing. Since 2003, he had a starring role in Battlestar Gallactica as Amiral William Adama.  Olmos co-founded a film production company called YOY, in 1982, dedicated to making socially conscious films, the first one being, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. He made his directorial debut with the movie, American Me.

Two Outstanding Latino Women: This category was created to highlight women’s historical contribution during the election. Women chosen have, through their work, contributed to advance women’s rights, equality, and/or exposed their suffering.  

Linda Chavez, Chairman, Center for Equal Opportunity 
Linda Chavez is chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a non-profit public policy research organization.   She also writes a weekly syndicated column that appears in newspapers across the country and is a political analyst for FOX News Channel. Chavez authored, amongst other books, Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation.  Chavez was once the highest-ranking woman in President Ronald Reagan's White House, and was the first Hispanic woman nominated to the United States Cabinet.   In 2000, Chavez was honored by the Library of Congress as a “Living Legend” for her contributions to America’s cultural and historical legacy.  In January 2001, Chavez was President George W. Bush’s nominee for Secretary of Labor until she withdrew her name from consideration.  Chavez has held a number of appointed positions, among them Chairman, National Commission on Migrant Education (1988-1992); White House Director of Public Liaison (1985); Staff Director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (1983-1985).  Chavez was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Maryland in 1986. In 1992, she was elected by the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission to serve a four-year term as U.S. Expert to the U.N. Sub-commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.   Chavez was also editor of the prize-winning quarterly journal American Educator (1977-1983), published by the American Federation of Teachers, where she also served as assistant to AFT president Al Shanker (1982-1983) and assistant director of legislation (1975-1977). 
 

Teresa Rodriguez, Author, National Host for Univision and “Aquí y Ahora” Magazine
is a veteran, award-winning journalist at Univision (the leading Spanish language network in the United States).  She is the recipient of eleven Emmy awards, eight for news-oriented specials and three for investigative and feature reporting.  Rodriguez created, serves as Executive Producer and is the main host of “Aquí y Ahora Con Teresa Rodriguez,” which ultimately became a regularly scheduled prime time weekly news magazine program and received several Emmy awards.  In 1992, she was reporter for the George Foster Peabody Award winning WTVJ news team that was recognized for their exceptional coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.  She was chosen as one of Hispanic magazine's Top Latinas in the field of Journalism in 2005.  She is the author of The Daughters of Juarez, the first major nonfiction work to examine the Juárez murders, a blistering exposé of incompetence, collusion, and reveals examples of major violations of human rights in Mexico.  It issues a clarion call to end the violence and injustice against women everywhere.

A prominent National Latino leader:


Janet Murguia, President of National Council of La Raza (NCLR)Janet Murguía has become a key figure among the next generation of leaders in the Latino community.   As President and Chief Executive Officer, she heads the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S.  Murguía began her career in Washington, DC as legislative counsel to former Kansas Congressman Jim Slattery.  She has worked at the White House, serving as deputy assistant to President Clinton, and as Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, managing the legislative staff and acting as a senior White House liaison to Congress.  She has also served as deputy campaign manager and director of constituency outreach for the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign.  

Three prominent Local Latino leaders:

Sonia Gutierrez, Founder of Carlos Rosario International Charter School  
Ms. Gutierrez, is currently the CEO & Founder of the Carlos Rosario International Career Center and Public Charter School.   Ms. Gutiérrez began her literacy career in the District of Columbia Public Schools in May 1972 as a counselor of the Program for English Instruction to Latin Americans (PEILA).  There, she began her mission: to provide holistic education to adult immigrants with little formal education in their native countries, enabling them to succeed by addressing their social and academic needs.  In October 1972, Ms. Gutiérrez became the Director of PEILA and transformed the small, under-funded English as a Second Language (ESL) program into a comprehensive adult education program.  In 1974, the Office of Right to Read of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare designated it as one of the best literacy programs in the nation. Subsequently, it grew to provide 4,500 students per year with crucial language, cultural, vocational and job skills with a waiting list of 2,000.  The school became a national model.  Delegations from other states and other nations frequently visit the center to review its operations and curriculum, seeking to replicate the program.   From August 1996 to March 1997, Ms. Gutierrez worked out of the basement of her home and raised $100,000 dollars from local foundations to reopen the school as the non-profit Carlos Rosario International Career Center. The new school opened its doors in April 1997 with Ms. Gutierrez as Executive Director & Founder. In 1998 the school became the first Adult Public Charter School in the nation.  As of today all six different sites under the Carlos Rosario International Career Center and Public Charter School have all come together in the state of the art building located at 1100 Harvard Street N.W. Ms. Gutierrez was inducted into the Washington Women’s Hall of Fame by the DC Commission of Women.  In 2000, she received a National Award for “Distinguished Service to Literacy” from the Scripps Howard Foundation.  In November 2002, Ms. Gutiérrez was honored by the National Hispanic Leadership Institute with the Regional “Mujer” Award for her excellent leadership.  In 2001 she was one of the first four inductees to the Hall of Fame of the National Charter Schools. 
 

Tom Perez, Secretary, Maryland Department of Labor 
Tom Perez is a nationally recognized consumer advocate and civil rights lawyer who was appointed by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley in January 2007 to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR). He was a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law.  Secretary Perez is currently a part-time member of the faculty at the George Washington School of Public Health.  From 2002 until 2006, Secretary Perez was a member of the Montgomery County Council, making him the first Latino ever elected to the Council, and served as Council President in 2005.  Secretary Perez served as Special Counsel to Senator Edward Kennedy, and was Senator Kennedy's principal adviser on civil rights, criminal justice and constitutional issues. For the final two years of the Clinton administration, Secretary Perez served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Health and Human Services.  He is currently a member of the Obama Transition Project's Agency Review Working Group responsible for the justice, health and human services, veterans affairs, and housing and urban development agencies.

Lillian Perdomo, President, Multicultural Community ServicesLillian Perdomo is a founding board member and the Executive Director of the  Multicultural Community Service, a non-profit organization.  Lillian serves on the executive board of the DC Language Access Coalition, She also serves on the Advisory Council of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center (MAEC).  She heads the District of Columbia Parent Information Resource Center (DC-PIRC), and with the support of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, has led for the past two years the “Day on the Hill event.” For over 4 years, Ms. Perdomo was the Chair of the Joint Advisory Council on English as a Second Language (ESL) and Multicultural Education, which oversees and advises the District of Columbia school system on how to respond to the needs of ESL and multicultural students and their parents.  She is a founding member and was elected the first President of the Board of Hermanas Unidas, which provides leadership development training, community education, and support to battered Latinas.  As a representative of Hermanas Unidas in the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund Delegation, Lillian was elected NGO Delegate to the IV World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China.  Ms. Perdomo has also presented testimony before the White House Commission on Welfare and Child Support. She advised President Clinton and the First Lady on issues affecting Latinas and their families.  She currently serves on the District of Columbia State Democratic Committee, and is an officer in the DC Latino Political Action Committee (PAC).  She also worked as Committee Assistant on the Committee on Local Regional and Federal Affairs in the DC City Council, and was appointed by the Mayor to serve on the DC comprehensive Plan Revision Task Force.

CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS

  • Senator Robert Menendez, Honorary Gala Co-Chair
  • Congressman Henry Cuellar, Honorary Gala Co-Chair 
  • Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez, Honorary Gala Co-Chair 
  • Congresswoman Hilda L Solis, Honorary Gala Co-Chair 
  • Tom Perez, Secretary, Maryland Department of Labor 
  • Governor Martin O’Malley via recorded video 
  • Anita Bonds, Chairman, DC Democratic State Committee 
  • DC Council Chairman Vincent C. Grey 
  • DC Councilmember Michael Brown 
  • DC Councilmember Kwame Brown 
  • DC Councilmember Jim Graham  
  • DC Councilmember Marion Barry  
  • DC Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr 
  • MD Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk 
  • MD Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez 
  • Linda Chavez, Chairman, Center for Equal Opportunity 
  • Teresa Rodriguez, Author, National Correspondent for Univision 
  • Maestro Johnny Pacheco, producer, musician, bandleader 
  • Edward James Olmos, Actor, Director 

 

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

·         DC Latino PAC

·         DC Democratic State Committee

·         DC Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray 

·         DC Councilmember Jim Graham 

·         DC Councilmember Marion Barry 

·         DC Councilmember Michael Brown 

·         DC Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr.

·         DC Democratic Party Chairman Anita Bonds 

·         MD Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk  

·         MD Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez 

·         Carlos Rosario International Charter School

·         Unidad Dominicana

·         Washington Hispanic Newspaper

·         CapitalWirePR

·         El Ojo Latino Newspaper

·         La Clinica del Pueblo

·         Latin American Youth Center

·         Mary’s Center

·         Fiesta DC, Inc.

·         EOFULA

NOTE:  The DC Latino Inaugural Gala Celebration will be a widely attended event that will include people from many different parts of the city.  The organizing institution will be a nonprofit 501C3 organization, Multicultural Community Services, (http://www.mcsdc.org).  All the proceeds for this event will be used for the event.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Franklin Garcia, fgarcia@maestropc.com, for clarification at 703-338-7095

**NOTE: Media organizations wishing to attend should make written requests on letterhead with the names of news personnel and title. SPACE IS LIMITED. Credential requests should be email to: information@latinoinauguralgala.com by Wednesday, Jan. 14. Current valid federal or state-issued photo and media identification will be required to obtain credentials. 

CONTACT:
.Franklin Garcia
703 338 7095
fgarcia@maestropc.com

Beatriz Perez-Gomez
202 249 2349
bepg1@msn.com
 
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