Representation Matters! Cultural exchange, youth engagement, policy advocacy, endurance and how we apply pressure featuring Rosa Velázquez.

We're celebrating #HispanicHeritageMonth Tue Sept. 15 2020 - Thurs Oct. 15, 2020 with this #RepresentationMatters episode with Rosa Velázquez.  Activist. Immigrant. Social Justice. Power Builder. Policy shaker. #AbolishICE #DefundThePolice #BlackLivesMatter #HereToStay Rosa has been actively organizing and advocating for immigrant’s rights since the Federal DREAM Act Campaign in 2010. Since its failure in Congress, she became involved with the youth lead organization United We Dream, where she was elected as a National Coordinator for the Mid-South Region of the country. During her time as National Coordinator, Rosa actively engaged, advocated, and helped build a national immigrant youth movement, geared towards student activism. Her work ranged from writing and passing local city resolutions that help immigrant families, passing state laws like in-state tuition equity and building youth led immigrant college chapters throughout the country. In 2012 she aided in the development of the #Right2Dream Campaign, where she played a vital role in the immigration policy change we know as DACA. With six states under her supervision, she led teams that helped thousands of dreamers apply for relief under DACA, including about 3,000 Arkansans. Because of her work, Rosa has received numerous prestigious recognitions, including “Dragon Slayer in Education Award” by the CFC,  “Arkansan of the Year” by Arkansas Life Magazine and “Arkansas Visionary” by the Arkansas Times. Rosa was also nominated by the White House in 2015 as a “DACA Teacher Champion of Change”. Since 2015, Rosa has actively served as Trustee of The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation where the mission is to relentlessly pursue economic, educational, social, ethnic and racial equity for ALL Arkansans. During the 2019 Arkansas Legislative Session, Rosa led the campaign that assured the passage of the Arkansas State DREAM Act and DACA Nurses, now laws. She now works for the immigrant advocacy organization, Arkansas United, as the Advocacy Coordinator with the major pillars of her work being direct state, federal and local advocacy, equity & inclusion and a black/brown power youth builders fellowship. Rosa loves spending time with her family, going fishing, trying out new foods and reading. She and her Husky, Whiskey, reside in Little Rock, Arkansas.