National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) to reflect on its legacy and roast its president and founder, Angelo Falcón.
New York City, NY [CapitalWirePR] January 17, 2013 – National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) — A maverick and influential policy centers focusing on Latino issues in the United States will be commemorating their 30th anniversary on January 25th in New York, featuring the roasting of its highly respected President and founder, Angelo Falcón.
The National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) is marking this important milestone with a gathering of the “who’s who” of Latino community activists and others who will be focusing on the group’s impressive three decades of aggressively addressing Latino community issues in a wide range of areas as an independent voice at both local and national levels.
Originally called the Institute for Puerto Rico Policy (IPR), the center changed its name in 2005 to the National Institute for Latino Policy to better reflect its role within the larger Latino community at the national level. In the 1980s the Institute made its reputation by holding the likes of NYC Mayor Koch and NYS Governor Mario Cuomo accountable to Latino community concerns, calling its brand of policy analysis “guerrilla research” to reflect its aggressive style, which prompted one journalist at the time to refer to them as “Young Lords with computers.”
Since then, the Institute today has become a major force on the Internet through their NiLP Network on Latino Issues (@TheNiLPnetwork), arguably one of the most influential online information services on Latino policy and political issues.
By adopting to the important role that new media now plays, NiLP has become an indispensable resources of Latino community leaders and advocates throughout the United States and is playing an increasingly important role as an opinion leaders on Latino issues.
President, Angelo Falcón, is possibly one of the most quoted Latino leaders in the national media on a wide range of policy and political issues affecting the Latino community.
A political scientist by training, his research has been influential in a number of key areas. He was part of the path-breaking first national survey of Latino political attitudes and behavior that was conducted in 1989-90, the author of the first comprehensive report on Latino underrepresentation in the judiciary at the state and federal level, one of the first major studies of Black-Latino political relations in a major city, the first study of the lack of United Way giving to Latinos, and pioneering studies on the issue of Latino underrepresentation in public sector employment, the promotion of greater Latino diversity in the media, among other issues.
Falcón and the Institute’s work has been credited with laying the groundwork for such firsts as the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court, the election of the first Black mayor of the City of New York, the basis for the current opinion polling of Latinos in the country, and the discovery of the trend that has resulted in the growth of the Stateside Puerto Rican population beyond the size of its numbers in Puerto Rico.
Through its work on voting rights and nonpartisan political redistricting, the Institute has also been credited with increasing Latino representation in elected political offices on the East Coast. Falcón has developed a style of research and advocacy that is innovative and tied to concrete results in both policy and political areas.
On January 25th, community leaders and advocates will be celebrating this legacy of research, advocacy and networking that is unique and has contributed to the positive development of Latinos in the United States.
Among those scheduled to be roasting Falcón are Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, National Hispanic Media Coalition President Alex Nogales, journalist Wayne Barrett, NYS Children and Families Commissioner Gladys Carrion, El Diario-La Prensa Publisher Rossana Rosado, Political Scientist John Mollenkopf., and among others.
NiLP’s 30th Anniversary Benefit Reception will be held on Friday, January 25, 2013 from 6-9pm at 25 West 18th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY. Tickets are $125 in advance and $150 at the door. The event is being sponsored by SEIU 32BJ, WABC-TV, d’ exposito and Partners, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement – New York Chapter, Lehman College (CUNY), Southwest Airlines, and Transport Workers Union – Local 100.
