On Thursday, March 20, community members gathered at the Young Latino Network (YLN) office for Llamado a la Acción: Building Community Power, an empowering evening dedicated to advocacy and legislative engagement. This training equipped attendees with the knowledge and skills to advocate for immigrant rights and influence policy change.
The event opened with Lynn Tramonte, Founder and Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, who shared insights into her advocacy work and emphasized the importance of shaping a positive narrative around immigrants.
Then Claudia Longo, Raíz Program Manager at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, gave an overview of their advocacy efforts. She also provided critical updates on House Bill 42, which would require certain agencies to collect and report citizenship status, and House Bill 72, which seeks to end the death penalty in Ohio.
Alma Rodriguez, YLN & AU’s Civic Engagement Coordinator, presented two key advocacy-related bills:
- Senate Bill 1: Requires state universities to implement and enforce policies that prohibit orientation or training courses focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). She emphasized the importance of voicing opposition to this bill.
- Senate Bill 113 and House Bill 155: Seeks to eliminate DEI programs in K-12 public schools.
During the training, participants directly responded by calling Governor DeWine and writing letters urging him not to sign Senate Bill 1. Attendees also gained a deeper understanding of the legislative process, identified their state representatives and senators, and learned how to engage effectively with policymakers.
More than anything, the event reinforced a powerful truth—your voice matters, your power is real, and no piece of paper can take that away. Regardless of immigration status, everyone can speak up, take action, and create meaningful change in their community.
