For the last two years I have had the distinct honor and priviledge to be a panelist at SXSWi. Unfortunately, I have been one of the only Latino panelists and potentially the only Latina panelist.
This is more often than not my experience on the conference circuit and one of the reasons that I joined with Ana Roca Castro and Louis Pagan in September of 2009, the original leaders of Latinos in Social Media to try and create a structure through which we could remedy this challenge.
On the conference circuit, the response that I get often for this dearth of Latino and Latina panelists is: we don't have any other Latino/Latina panelists because there is no one else out there. My experience has been that many of the conference organizers blame the digital divide.
However, although the digital divide is a very real problem that faces a certain part of our community the reality is that the Hispanic community is diverse and multi-faceted; and we have had some experts in technology, social media and new media for decades. The opportunity is making sure that these folks are getting the exposure that they deserve.
As it relates to SXSWi I first raised the issue with the conference organizers when I participated in their conference two years ago. In response, last year we organized the first ever Latinos in Tech panel at SXSWi which we hope to do again in 2011. This year, however, my objective is much more ambitious and I am partnering with the conference organizers at SXSW to make it real. Given the fact that SXSW is in Texas which is heavily populated by Hispanics, our hope is to bring to the table dozens of panels enfused with Hispanics, Tejanos, Latinos, Mexican-Americans, Boricuas, Chapinos, Ticos, Guanacos, Pinoleros, Catrachos, etc. This project has been two years in the works and I believe that now is the time for us to make it reality.
To date, more than a dozen folks have responded to my call to bring more Hispanic/Latino panelists to SXSWi. If you are interested in joining us or helping out, tweet me: @KetyE.
Showing posts with label Latinos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latinos. Show all posts
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
How to Grow and Mobilize Your Social Media Followers: My Bridge Conference Presentation
I've been invited to do a presentation at the Bridge conference next month. The presentation title is, "How to Grow and Mobilize Your Social Media Followers." I am sitting on a panel with three other great women. It promises to be a fantastic event.
Today I was in the middle of organizing my slides for our upcoming discussion when it dawned on me... I should go out into the social media universe and ask my friends, followers and readers for their advice. What are your thoughts?
What do you find particularly useful when working on growing and mobilizing your Social Media followers? What have you seen others do that you think has been the most effective/helpful? What are some of the worst examples that you have seen? What about the best examples? Thanks in advance for any thoughts that you care to share!
Further details on our Bridge conference session below. I hope that you will join us! Looking forward to seeing you there!
Presentation Title: How to Grow and Mobilize Your Social Media Followers
Presentation Description:
Presentation Title: How to Grow and Mobilize Your Social Media Followers
Presentation Description:
So, you’re tweeting and have fans. But you wish you had larger growth or engagement on your social media sites. Are there tools, techniques, or strategies you should be employing? This panel of online marketing experts will share what’s working for their organizations and audiences. And you’ll hear valuable findings from a new study – Nonprofit Social Media Benchmarks Study – that will help you create your own social media benchmarks and strategy.
Attendee will learn:
1. Best practices for what to do and NOT to do to grow your social media base
2. How to engage corporations and other organizations to help you
3. How to target Latinos and other special audiences in the social media world
Speakers Name/Title: Amy Ganderson, Digital Marketing Manager, The Nature Conservancy
Speakers Name/Title: Kety Esquivel, Executive Director and CEO, Latinos in Social Media
Speakers Name/Title: Arielle Holland, Consultant, M+R Strategic Services
Email: aholland@mrss.com
Speakers Name/Title: Catherine Algeri, Senior Account Executive, InfoGroup Nonprofit (Moderator)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Latinos, Technology and the Environment: Digital Week Session on Climate Justice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC
June 10, 2010
Washington, DC
June 10, 2010
Latinos, Technology and the Environment
At 49.7million, Latinos are the fastest growing and largest 'minority' population in the United States. In a recent poll commissioned by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), 66 percent of Hispanics (Latinos) said tackling climate change should be a “high” or “very high” priority with 41 percent supporting the regulation of carbon emissions.” The National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC) and the Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change (CEAACC), conducted a joint study in swing States across the U.S. that backs these findings. An overwhelming majority of Latino voters in Florida (80%), Nevada (67%) and Colorado (58%) say they are more likely to vote for a U.S. Senate candidate that supports proposals for fighting global warming.
The concern for climate action amongst Latinos in the United States is directly linked to the fact that they live or work in the most environmentally degraded areas, are amongst the most climate vulnerable in the United States and come from countries across Latin America where climate change has already wreaked havoc and caused hardship for their families and friends. Mainstream environmental organizations have yet to engage the Latino community online although, their presence as a group within social media networks is more engaged across the board than non-Latinos. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) reports that 59.5% of Latinos are online, while a March 2010 report by Forester shows them growing most in the creator, critic and collector spectrum of the “Social Technographics Ladder.”
The few mainstream organizations that have taken the leap, such as the NRDC with Voces Verdes, the Earth Action Network, and the Sierra Club are yet to channel mobilizing online with face to face creative space. Greater opportunities to explore the roots US Latinos have to Latin America for environmental action are only beginning to get cultivated by grassroots organizations. Conferences such as the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Bolivia, Digital Capital Week coming up in Washington, D.C., and the US Social Forum in Detroit, do away with the bureaucracy and ego of traditional conferences and create the space to organically grow common visions in a big way.
The integration of Web 2.0 technology into these creative spaces has facilitated diverse environmental and social justice groups to stay connected and develop common strategies that sustain time and cross sectors as well as, borders. Angela Adrar, an environmental new media communicator and Latino activist says that “Latinos in the US are growing weary of organizations that do not respond to their needs. They are sharing their experiences using bilingual communication and community muscle to change the narrative of power through social media and succeeding.” The rise of the digital activist has been a long time coming but the effectiveness, tools and ability to create real world impact is exponentially increasing as more communities of color come of age online enabling them to generate their own stories and offer their own solutions.
(Washington, D.C.) - As intergovernmental negotiators in Bonn are yet again, finding it impossible to reach a mutual agreement on Climate Change, digital savvy Latino-environmentalists are using technological innovation within and across borders to unite new and legacy media through organizing for climate justice. Join us for our panel during Digital Capital Week in Washington, D.C., on June 13th from 3 to 5pm, at the Energy Action Coalition to find out more. The panel 'Latinos, Technology and the Environment,' examines the opportunity presented by the digital sphere as it relates to Latinos and the environment. We will discuss our participation in the recent World's People Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia and explore the role of technology in organizing the grassroots movement for the next annual meeting of intergovernmental climate negotiators in Cancun scheduled for November.
At 49.7million, Latinos are the fastest growing and largest 'minority' population in the United States. In a recent poll commissioned by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), 66 percent of Hispanics (Latinos) said tackling climate change should be a “high” or “very high” priority with 41 percent supporting the regulation of carbon emissions.” The National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC) and the Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change (CEAACC), conducted a joint study in swing States across the U.S. that backs these findings. An overwhelming majority of Latino voters in Florida (80%), Nevada (67%) and Colorado (58%) say they are more likely to vote for a U.S. Senate candidate that supports proposals for fighting global warming.
The concern for climate action amongst Latinos in the United States is directly linked to the fact that they live or work in the most environmentally degraded areas, are amongst the most climate vulnerable in the United States and come from countries across Latin America where climate change has already wreaked havoc and caused hardship for their families and friends. Mainstream environmental organizations have yet to engage the Latino community online although, their presence as a group within social media networks is more engaged across the board than non-Latinos. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) reports that 59.5% of Latinos are online, while a March 2010 report by Forester shows them growing most in the creator, critic and collector spectrum of the “Social Technographics Ladder.”
The few mainstream organizations that have taken the leap, such as the NRDC with Voces Verdes, the Earth Action Network, and the Sierra Club are yet to channel mobilizing online with face to face creative space. Greater opportunities to explore the roots US Latinos have to Latin America for environmental action are only beginning to get cultivated by grassroots organizations. Conferences such as the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Bolivia, Digital Capital Week coming up in Washington, D.C., and the US Social Forum in Detroit, do away with the bureaucracy and ego of traditional conferences and create the space to organically grow common visions in a big way.
The integration of Web 2.0 technology into these creative spaces has facilitated diverse environmental and social justice groups to stay connected and develop common strategies that sustain time and cross sectors as well as, borders. Angela Adrar, an environmental new media communicator and Latino activist says that “Latinos in the US are growing weary of organizations that do not respond to their needs. They are sharing their experiences using bilingual communication and community muscle to change the narrative of power through social media and succeeding.” The rise of the digital activist has been a long time coming but the effectiveness, tools and ability to create real world impact is exponentially increasing as more communities of color come of age online enabling them to generate their own stories and offer their own solutions.
Kety Esquivel, Interim Executive Director of Latism, the largest organization of Latinos in Social Media and Angela Adrar, Environmental Communicator with La Trenza Leadership Eco-Hermanas will be spearheading the panel.
Kety Esquivel (410) 500-8340
Twitter: @KetyE
|
Angela Adrar (202) 439-7724
Twitter: @DancingSparrow
|
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Latinos, Technology and the Environment - This Sunday
This Sunday I will be co-facilitating a session at Digital Capital Week from 3-5pm. The session is graciously hosted by the Energy Action Coalition. The topic is Latinos, technology and the environment. If you are in DC for Digital Capital Week or in the beltway for any other reason this week-end, please join us! Remember to RSVP, as space is limited.
| Sunday, June 13 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00pm - 5:00pm | N | Latinos, Technology and the Environment << less at Energy Action Coalition 1850 M St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036 | ||
Click here About According to a Sierra Club National Survey, 66% of Latino(a)s in the United States, work and live close to toxic sites, add to that, the African Americans and Asians that live in highly polluted urban neighborhoods, the farmer migrants that are exposed to pesticides when picking US food and the Indigenous peoples that are having their lands mined and degraded and we have a big hot mess that makes the US majority generally and environmentally disadvantaged. This panel will examine the opportunity presented by the digital sphere as it relates to Latinos and the environment. We will discuss our participation in the recent World's People Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia as well as the next annual meeting of environmental ministers in Cancun in November. Speaker/Artist(s) Angela Adrar Kety Esquivel Host Organization(s) Energy Action Coalition Limited Capacity Max. 30 attendees Audience Technologists, Govies, Entrepreneurs, Communicators | ||||
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Race, The Prince of Persia, CNN and Trevor
This Memorial Day week-end our youngest asked us to go see the Prince of Persia. He loves the Prince of Persia Legos his father bought him (He says they look just like Indiana Jones)...
It was right about at that point in the conversation (when he was explaining how the Prince of Persia looked exactly the same as Indiana Jones) when I requested that we have a conversation about race since:
#1- The Prince of Persia is Persian.
(Though in the movie the role is played by Jake Gyllenhaal who is a descendant of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family on his father's side and of a Jewish New York family on his mother's side.)
#2- It seems kind of strange that Indiana Jones and the Prince of Persia are interchangeable in Lego land since the Prince of Persia is from Persia and Indiana Jones is well, not.
#3- Earlier in the month I had seen clips of CNN's study on race and what I had seen had shocked me.
Another clip from the study, "Why do you want that skin color?"
Parts two and three of the study's findings continued here.
I have been in Trevor's life for the last three years. Since I have been dating his father we have:
#1- talked about Thanksgiving and what happened with the Native Americans that were here before us;
#2- talked about immigration and the DREAM Act and taken him and his brother to detention centers and immigration marches;
#3- talked about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Park;
#4- talked about the struggles that the Irish have gone through historically both in this country and in Great Britain.
So this week-end we talked about the Prince of Persia and CNN's video clips on race. Trevor's response when he saw the clips?
"They don't know anything."
We asked him, "What don't they know anything about Trevor?"
His response, "They don't know anything about anything. All people are the same. It doesn't matter what color they are on the outside."
We proceeded to have a great conversation about what this means for him in school as a young blond haired white male, as well as the child of a multi-racial family (his cousins are mixed, African-American fathers and a white mother as well as one cousin whose mother is Latina and whose father is white). Moreover, I spoke to him about privilege and structural inequalities and explained to him that if someday his father and I had a child that his brother or sister may look like me, much tanner than either he or his brother. I am happy to report that little Trevor was quite engaged in the conversation, asked many questions, offered up his thoughts and overall his main concern seemed to be that we not have the child too soon, since right now he's our little baby.
I was thankful that we were able to have the talk that we did with our six year old, especially in light of the CNN study which says that children's views on race are informed by the conversations that they have/do not have with their parents. Moreover, I was thankful that Rich has done such a phenomenal job raising the children the way that he has and I was thankful that I was there to be a part of the conversation with this brilliant little being as he continues to grow up.
For more on the importance of talking about race with children, regardless of their race, read this post from Modern Familia.
It was right about at that point in the conversation (when he was explaining how the Prince of Persia looked exactly the same as Indiana Jones) when I requested that we have a conversation about race since:
#1- The Prince of Persia is Persian.
(Though in the movie the role is played by Jake Gyllenhaal who is a descendant of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family on his father's side and of a Jewish New York family on his mother's side.)
#2- It seems kind of strange that Indiana Jones and the Prince of Persia are interchangeable in Lego land since the Prince of Persia is from Persia and Indiana Jones is well, not.
#3- Earlier in the month I had seen clips of CNN's study on race and what I had seen had shocked me.
Another clip from the study, "Why do you want that skin color?"
Parts two and three of the study's findings continued here.
I have been in Trevor's life for the last three years. Since I have been dating his father we have:
#1- talked about Thanksgiving and what happened with the Native Americans that were here before us;
#2- talked about immigration and the DREAM Act and taken him and his brother to detention centers and immigration marches;
#3- talked about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Park;
#4- talked about the struggles that the Irish have gone through historically both in this country and in Great Britain.
So this week-end we talked about the Prince of Persia and CNN's video clips on race. Trevor's response when he saw the clips?
"They don't know anything."
We asked him, "What don't they know anything about Trevor?"
His response, "They don't know anything about anything. All people are the same. It doesn't matter what color they are on the outside."
We proceeded to have a great conversation about what this means for him in school as a young blond haired white male, as well as the child of a multi-racial family (his cousins are mixed, African-American fathers and a white mother as well as one cousin whose mother is Latina and whose father is white). Moreover, I spoke to him about privilege and structural inequalities and explained to him that if someday his father and I had a child that his brother or sister may look like me, much tanner than either he or his brother. I am happy to report that little Trevor was quite engaged in the conversation, asked many questions, offered up his thoughts and overall his main concern seemed to be that we not have the child too soon, since right now he's our little baby.
I was thankful that we were able to have the talk that we did with our six year old, especially in light of the CNN study which says that children's views on race are informed by the conversations that they have/do not have with their parents. Moreover, I was thankful that Rich has done such a phenomenal job raising the children the way that he has and I was thankful that I was there to be a part of the conversation with this brilliant little being as he continues to grow up.
For more on the importance of talking about race with children, regardless of their race, read this post from Modern Familia.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Is There Anybody Out There? Latino Digital Natives and Beyond
Are we out there? Are we online? Are we producing content? Are we consuming content? Are we influenced by the content that exists online? What about the digital divide?
These are some of the questions that folks in the private, non-profit and government sector have been asking themselves about the Latino community. Over the next few days and weeks, I hope to provide some answers.
Let me start with this.
#1- Hispanics are not a monolithic community.
Just like we are not monolithic in our defining of ourselves, i.e., some of us call ourselves Latinos, others Hispanos, Chicanos, Mexicanos, Tejanos, Boricuas, Chapinos (you get the point). So too we are a diverse community online with different levels of proficiency and acculturation. We too have digital natives in our midst and phenomenal technologists that have been paving the way in the world of technology since the nineties, before social media was social media and before the term Web 2.0 was ever imagined let alone coined.
It is important for anyone interested in the aforementioned questions to take stock of the current state of reality and not just dismiss the Latino community online, based on the belief that there is this digital divide that keeps all Latinos out of the technology game.
Let me be clear. The digital divide exists and it is still affecting the Latino community in a devastating way. However, that should not be collapsed with the understanding that the divide is present for all Hispanics. For as my coming blog posts will show, there are many of us in fact thriving and innovating online inspired by the possibilities created in this new digital world.
Truth is the beginning of every good thing, both in heaven and on earth; and he who would be blessed and happy should be from the first a partaker of truth, for then he can be trusted. -Plato
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Latinos in Tech Panel at SXSW 2010: Latinos, Technology and the Census
Here is the first video from the Latinos in Tech Event at SXSW. Thank you @mlackey for filming and @JulieDiazAsper for letting her use the flip!
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