Ever freeze up when the camera rolls? Say bye-bye to awkward interviews and hello to media mastery. Our “How to Speak to the Media” Workshop is your ticket to nailing your message with confidence, handling tough questions like a pro, and staying in control no matter the pressure. You’ll walk away looking and sounding camera-ready while turning every interview into an opportunity to shine. This isn’t just training—it’s your power move to owning the spotlight. Don’t just speak—make an impact. Sign up now and take your media game to the next level.

David Cruz is a veteran broadcast network news journalist and writer based in Austin, Texas, and he has received multiple Emmy Awards and Golden Mikes for his groundbreaking storytelling and compelling narratives on the American landscape. His notable achievements include anchoring one of the highest-rated daily television news programs in Southern California for NBC TV. Early on, he was the first News Director at KWEX TV, a Spanish-language television station that founded UNIVISION. When CNN Spanish Radio Network was launched, Cruz was tapped to Anchor, the nation’s first syndicated bilingual broadcast, which continued for over two decades. He also worked as a
correspondent for CBS News, based in San Francisco, and later, ABC News, from Dallas, Texas. Following a successful broadcast career, Cruz now devotes his expertise as a media consultant to Fortune 500
companies and community-based organizations, including the League of United Latin American Citizens, SER NATIONAL Jobs for Progress, and the National Latino Peace Officers Association.

My session will provide young people with a foundational understanding of activism, equipping them with the historical context, strategic frameworks, and practical skills necessary to effect change in their communities. Through an interactive and experiential approach, participants will engage in: The History of Activism – Understanding how movements throughout history have been built and sustained, from the Civil Rights Movement to contemporary social justice efforts. By studying past struggles and victories, young people will recognize the power of collective action and see themselves as part of a long legacy of changemakers. Introduction to Kingian Nonviolence – I will introduce the six principles and six steps of Kingian Nonviolence, providing youth with a philosophy and methodology for social change that prioritizes love, truth, and reconciliation over destruction and division. Participants will explore real-world applications of nonviolent direct action and conflict reconciliation, learning how to transform injustice without replicating harm. Organizing 101 – Youth will gain concrete organizing skills, including how to: Identify community issues and develop clear demands Build coalitions and mobilize peers Plan and execute actions such as rallies, petitions, and legislative advocacy Engage with media and leverage storytelling to shift narratives Navigate potential challenges, including legal considerations and risk assessment Action Planning & Resource Sharing – To ensure this session is not just theoretical, I will guide participants in creating their own action plans based on issues they care about. They will leave with tangible next steps and a network of mentors, toolkits, and resources to help sustain their activism beyond the session. By blending history, strategy, and hands-on training, this workshop will empower young people to step into their leadership and engage in effective, principled action for justice. My goal is for each participant to walk away with confidence, clarity, and community—knowing that they are capable of making meaningful change.

Carmen Perez-Jordan is an award-winning, internationally recognized civil and human rights leader and Chicana feminist. She is the President & CEO of The Gathering for Justice, a social justice organization founded by the late, great Harry Belafonte. Carmen co-founded Justice League NYC and Justice League CA, two state-based task forces dedicated to advancing juvenile and criminal justice reform. Under her leadership, Justice League NYC organized mass protests, including the historic 250-mile march from New York City to Washington, DC, delivering a Justice Package, a legislative agenda aimed at addressing systemic injustices, to Congress. She also spearheaded the distribution of “I Can’t Breathe” shirts in response to the non-indictment in the Eric Garner case, which helped bring national attention to police violence against communities of color. Carmen has led high-profile campaigns such as Free Meek Mill, Free Pedro Hernandez, Take a Knee with Colin Kaepernick, and the I Am MEGAN campaign in support of Megan Thee Stallion, among others. Beyond U.S. borders, she played a critical role in the Transnational Advisory Group in Support of the Peace Process in El Salvador (TAGSPPES), advocating for a peace process that included all sectors of Salvadoran society. As the founder of Latinx Police Accountability Next (LPAN), Carmen is dedicated to ensuring accountability within law enforcement by advocating for transparency, oversight, and justice for the Latinx community. She is also working on an oral history project to uplift the stories of Latinos impacted by state-sanctioned violence and police killings over the last 250 years since the annexation of Mexican territories into the United States, ensuring these overlooked narratives are documented and shared. Furthermore, Carmen is leading partnerships for The Next 250 initiative, which focuses on shaping a more just and equitable future by addressing systemic inequality, racial justice, and transformative social change. The initiative ultimately aims to evolve The Declaration of Independence into a Declaration of Interdependence, reflecting shared responsibility and justice. As one of the co-founders and national co-chairs of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, which mobilized over 5 million people globally, Carmen was instrumental in fostering partnerships, engaging influencers, and crafting the Unity Principles that guided the march.  She is the co-founder of Women’s March Inc. and led the process to create the Women’s Agenda. She also co-founded Poderistas, a platform dedicated to amplifying Latina voices, and serves on the advisory boards of Monogram and Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop!, as well as on the Board of Directors for Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos. Carmen is featured in the upcoming film Following Harry, which highlights the activism of her mentor and former boss, the legendary Harry Belafonte. The film explores Belafonte’s remarkable work in the final decade of his life and his profound influence on leaders like Carmen. It celebrates his legacy in civil rights and human rights efforts, offering an intimate look at how he inspired a new generation of advocates. Her contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including being named one of Fortune’s Top 50 World Leaders, one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, Glamour Woman of the Year, Latina of the Year by Latina Magazine, a recipient of the Frederick Douglass 200 Award, and one of Forbes México’s 100 Mujeres Más Poderosas, among others. She has been a featured speaker at prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, Columbia University, The Academy, and Peloton, with her work highlighted in Forbes, TIME, MSNBC, Univision, ELLE, Glamour, and Bustle. Above all, Carmen takes the most pride in being a mother to her two young children, instilling in them the values of justice, resilience, and community leadership.

The session will allow immigrants and persons with interest in the immigration community to know more about the available laws and policies to assist the immigration community in the US, and will serve as information of the most recent changes in the US immigration policies. We will empower the LULAC members with information about their rights in the US in regards to immigration law. These interactions also known as KYR will allow LULAC members the opportunity to make a positive impact in their communities.

Kelvin Rosado is an immigration attorney licensed to practice in Maryland, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Immigration Courts nationwide. With over a decade of experience, he practices removal defense, family-based, employment-based, and humanitarian-based immigration law. His offices are located in Los Angeles-Glendale, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Maryland. Before establishing his firm in 2022, Mr. Rosado served as managing attorney at a multistate immigration law firm in Los Angeles and as supervising attorney at a prominent non-profit organization in the Baltimore-Washington DC area. In these roles, he directly supervised multiple attorneys and mentored pro-bono attorneys. Mr. Rosado is a frequent guest on Univision, Telemundo, and Vision Latina networks, where he discusses the rights of immigrants in the U.S. He is also an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

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Rosio Pedroso, MPP, Principal of Pedroso Consulting has over 20 years of experience conducting research and evaluation for underrepresented and underserved communities.  She has conducted evaluations, needs assessments, primary research, empathy studies, focus groups, and interviews on a variety of topics including K-5 literacy, secondary and postsecondary STEM initiatives for underrepresented groups and first-generation college students. She has contributed to several National Science Foundation and Department of Education federal grants as the external evaluator. She also contributed to strategic planning efforts for suicide prevention and adult education consortiums in California.  She graduated from Princeton University with a major in Sociology and received her Master's in Public Policy from Georgetown University. She is currently the Director of Community, Continuing and Corporate Education for Gavilan Community College.