ELI To Host “Embracing Diversity” Panel on Tuesday Live on Facebook
Emerging Leaders Initiative of Utah (ELI) will host a virtual panel discussion on “Embracing Diversity in Salt Lake City,” on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
The panel, which will be streamed live on the ELI Facebook page, is part of a series of community activities being held in conjunction with the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference: Building Inclusive and Sustainable Cities and Communities, which will bring together ~5,000 attendees from around the world to Salt Lake City on August 26-28, 2019.
WHAT: "Embracing Diverse Communities in Salt Lake City" Facebook Live Panel
WHEN: Tuesday, August 13
6:30-7:30 p.m. MST
WHERE: ELI Facebook Page
Event panelists are some of Utah’s emerging leaders who are already making an impact through their advocacy work in to create a safe, welcoming, assessable and inclusive Wasatch Front.
Panelists for the event include:
- Moderator: Mario Organista is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for ELI and the youth co-chair for the sub-committee of the upcoming UN Civil Society Conference in SLC. He is also the PACE Scholarship Advisor for Salt Lake Community College's Office Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.
- Panelist: Eliza Stauffer is a disability rights activist that works as an advocate at the Disability Law Center. Her work focuses on educating people with disabilities on their employment and voting rights, as well as encouraging self-advocacy and coalition building within the community. Eliza served as Ms. Wheelchair America 2017 and used her platform to advocate for accessible, equal voting processes across the nation, while working locally to eliminate the practice of stand-up votes at caucuses.
Panelist: Ashley Cleveland is ecologist turned city planner. As a millennial of color and new mom she has always cared about equity and what the means for the places we live. She thinks representation is key in so many important workings of our every day life. She serves on the board of directors for CurlyMe!, a non profit serving Black girls and their families. She is on the board of trustees for Tracy Aviary, a Governor's Outdoor Recreation Advisory Board member, Utah's only Outdoor Afro Leader, and she manages the Promise Program--which aims to remove discriminating and inequitable barriers to education, health and safety, and economic well being for residents such as youth and refugees--in Utah's youngest city, Millcreek. - Panelist: Lucas Horns is the founder of Project Rainbow, a non-profit organization that works to increase visibility for the LGBTQ community in Utah, as well as raise funds for various LGBTQ-advocacy organizations throughout the state. He also serves on the Utah Steering Committee of the Human Rights Campaign and runs an LGBTQ discussion group at Volunteers of America’s Youth Resource Center.
- Panelist: Eliza Stauffer is a disability rights activist that works as an advocate at the Disability Law Center. Her work focuses on educating people with disabilities on their employment and voting rights, as well as encouraging self-advocacy and coalition building within the community. Eliza served as Ms. Wheelchair America 2017 and used her platform to advocate for accessible, equal voting processes across the nation, while working locally to eliminate the practice of stand-up votes at caucuses.
- Panelist: Joél-Léhi Organista Estrada is the founder of Casa Quetzalcoatl, a local nonprofit that seeks to empower Utah’s Latinx community in higher education, cultural, and civic engagement. He currently serves in national leadership positions with the Education Liberation Network and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Joél-Léhi has served as an appointed advisor on equity issues to the Utah State Board of Education. He's a polyglot that knows Spanish, English, Japanese, Portuguese, and is improving his Nahuatl.
Individuals may also submit their question prior to the panel via ELI’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. We encourage individuals from around the world to participate on social media and to use the official conference hashtags #UNCSC2019 and #ActLocalGoGlobal.
Additionally, ELI invites and encourages young Utahns to take the Civil Society Conference to share their thoughts, ideas and goals in when it comes to building sustainable and inclusive cities and communities at http://bit.ly/UNCSC2019YouthSurvey.