NOTE: Updated with video links, attendance numbers.

The collective wisdom of past and current LEAD events honorary chairpersons — all of whom are strong activists and advocates who have made significant contributions to the community — was showcased at LEAD Summit IX, ¡Viva la Mujer! at Cal State San Bernardino.

The daylong summit focused on the challenges, issues and accomplishments facing women, and Latina women in particular, in and outside academics. An estimated 1,700 people attended the summit at the CSUSB Santos Manuel Student Union. LEAD Summit IX was also livestreamed to remote Town Hall viewing locations worldwide, with 424,585 viewers, and over social media's Facebook and YouTube, with 60,655 views.

In the capstone panel presentation, “VIVA LA MUJER: Nosotras Las Madrinas,” seven of the past nine honorary chairs, or madrinas de honor, shared how each overcame challenges to succeed in their given professions.

During a question-and-answer period, a summit participant asked what responsibilities men have in helping women succeed. And the answers were basic, aimed at the foundation of any relationship between a man and a woman.

“Be a man. Be the man,” said Josie Gonzales, 2013 LEAD Summit Madrina de Honor and Fifth District Supervisor in San Bernardino County. “We honor and we recognize in our culture, and other cultures, that we honor and respect the men in our lives. If we are to enable a balance to take place in today’s world, the male must be strong enough, must be man enough, to understand that his place is sacred. It is important that as the head of the family that the man must be kind, must be understanding, and must be faithful to good, positive character traits.”

Men leaving their wives and children when challenging times happen is not the answer, she said, and neither is it taking over by disrespecting each other. “The lines have to be drawn, in every culture, and that is we will respect each other and we will honor each other,” Gonzales said. “And when love isn’t as healthy as it should be, you move back to respect, you move back to honoring each other. … If you want a good woman, you have to be a good man.”

Eloise Gómez Reyes, 2017 LEAD Summit Madrina de Honor and state assembly member representing the 47th District, said the best help that can be given is to let women be the spokespeople for the issues affecting them.

“Women are strong. We can do anything,” she said. “And just remember that women can lead, and often times will lead. So just as my DACA students tell me, don’t pretend to speak for me, and I would say the same thing.”

Also participating on the panel were Sylvia Mendez, 2010 Inaugural LEAD Summit Madrina de Honor; Judy Rodriguez Watson, 2011 LEAD Summit Madrina de Honor; Trini Gomez, 2011 Inaugural Feria Educativa Madrina de Honor; Ellen Riojas Clark, 2015 Inaugural Global LEAD Summit Madrina de Honor; and Ellen Riojas Clark, 2015 Inaugural Global LEAD Summit Madrina de Honor.

The honorary chairs for the 2018 summit were Gloria Macías Harrison and Marta Macías Brown, sisters from San Bernardino who have a long history of contributing to the community.

The annual free conference brings together teaching professionals and educators, researchers, academics, scholars, administrators, independent writers and artists, policy and program specialists, students, parents, civic leaders, activists and advocates to discuss educational issues affecting Latinos.

Panels on “Latina Pathways in P-20 Systems and Beyond: Answering the Call” and “Latina College Administrators: Triumphs and Challenges ... Leaving a Legacy” addressed educational issues, while the keynote speakers focused on topics ranging from empowerment (Mia St. John, her daughter Paris Nicole St. John); civil rights and education (Maya I. Arce); and conditions faced by women farmworkers (Hermila “Mily” Treviño-Sauceda).

The summit is the annual focal point for LEAD Week, which this year included: Binational Parent Leadership Institute (BPLI) Colloquium, at the offices of the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, on March 26; the Catholic School Expo and Career Day III, at the CSUSB Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center on March 27; the Puente Student Leadership Forum III, at the Doubletree Hilton in San Bernardino, on March 28; and the Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Breakfast VII, at the CSUSB Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center, on March 31.

Now in its ninth year, LEAD serves as a primary site for a set of innovative and productive programs, publications and events for Latinos and education. These projects involve significant participation of faculty, students and administrators, as well as partnerships in the region and nationally.

The projects also create strong interactive connections with Latino networks in the U.S., as well as Latin Americans and Indigenous Peoples throughout the Americas and the world, many whom are already in contact with LEAD personnel and the university.

Archived video may be watched online via Facebook:

Opening CeremonyWelcome Remarks / Bienvenida

Panel — Latina Pathways in P-20 Systems and Beyond: Answering the Call

Featured Speakers Mia St. John and Paris St. JohnMaya I. Arce (Victory in Arizona)

Afternoon  SessionsFeatured  Speaker: Hermila 'Mily' Trevino-Sauceda (Campesinas and Global Human Rights)Panel — Latina College Administrators: Triumphs and Challenges ... Leaving a LegacyCapstone Presentation —VIVA LA MUJER: Nosotros Las Madrinas

The entire summit can be viewed on YouTube at LEAD 2018 Live at CSUSB.

For more information, visit the LEAD Summit website at leadsummit.csusb.edu, or call (909) 537-7632.