For nearly 40 years, the United States Hispanic Leadership Council (USHLI) has been empowering Latinos to engage in civic duties and fulfill the promises and principles of our democracy.

Each year, the USHLI hosts its annual USHLI Conference, which has become the premier Hispanic leadership conference in the nation.

The 38th annual USHLI Conference took place from Feb. 20-23 at the Sheraton Grand in Chicago, Illinois. The theme of this year’s conference, “Vision 2020, Strength in Numbers” promoted the importance of civic engagement, as well as participating in the census. 

More than 6,000 registered participants representing 34 U.S. states gathered during the conference to celebrate the honorees. Each were described as “long-standing pillars in the community, who have left a giant footprint on the landscape of American society.”

Honorees included the Hon. Nelson A. Diaz, who was awarded the National Hispanic Hero Award. Other honorees included Ambassador Carolyn Curiel, awarded the Dolores C. Huerta Woman of Courage Medallion; J. Luis Batista, MD, awarded the Honorable Luis V. Gutierrez Humanitarian Award; Lupe Martinez, awarded the Cesar E. Chavez Community Service Medallion; and Luis A. Miranda, Jr., awarded the Dr. Henry L. (Hank) Lacayo Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Last month’s USHLI Conference also featured the 2020 Student Leadership Series Launch, which serves as the cornerstone of USHLI’s campaign to create a culture of education where academic persistence is a priority in every Latino household. 

The program focuses on a number of components, including motivating students to stay in school, improving their academic performance, graduating from college, and pursuing and successfully completing some level of post-secondary education or training. 

In addition, the four-day conference featured a Latina Empowerment Breakfast, various professional development opportunities, a graduate school recruitment fair, an Educational Achievement Luncheon, and discussions about Latinos in the workforce, in education and more. 

The attendees of the conference are guided with the tools and resources to become some of the most influential Hispanic leaders of their generation, with the goal of helping govern their cities, schools, states and nation, as a whole. 

Founded in 1982, the USHLI has the mission of fulfilling the promises and principles of democracy by promoting education and leadership development, empowering Latinos and similarly disenfranchised groups through civic engagement and research, and by maximizing participation in the electoral process.