Violence affects everyone, yet some communities suffer more acutely than others. For example, some of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history have occurred in Latino communities. And as it is a major public health issue, it also intersects with education in epic proportions, which creates barriers to learning in so many ways.

To that end, the Latino Education and Advocacy Days Project will examine that issue when it hosts its LEAD Summit XII, “¡Ya Basta! – Enough is Enough!: Education and Violence in the Context of our Schools, Community Safety, and Law-Enforcement,” on Sept. 29 at Cal State San Bernardino.

Registration is now open for the summit, which will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Santos Manuel Student Union. Visit the 2023 LEAD Summit XII Registration webpage to reserve your spot.

Each year the summit, which is open to the public and free to attend, 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 – all sharing a common interest and commitment to education issues that impact Latinos to help them define the future. 

“Attendance in this year’s summit is imperative because in all the forms of violence, we as a society just move on to other things,” said Enrique Murillo Jr., LEAD executive director and CSUSB professor of education. “But neither the victims, the families, nor the communities are able to move on.”

Every child has the right to safety and security that makes learning possible and fulfilling. Yet millions of girls and boys experience violence in and around schools – on the way to school, on school grounds, and within classrooms. Evidence and data have clearly shown that violence in and around schools – in its various forms – has detrimental impacts on a child’s well-being and educational attainment.

Programs during the summit will examine the challenges the community faces. Scheduled panel discussions will include “Historical, Cultural and Racial Responsiveness and Revitalization: Building Dignity and Social Justice from the Massacre at El Porvenir to Uvalde”; “Missing and Murdered Indigenous People”; “Gun Violence Prevention: Students Need Safe Environments to Learn, Live, and Grow”; “Federal Response & Interagency Working Group: Resources and Preparedness”; and “Police Use of Excessive Force/Raza Database Project.”

In addition, the summit’s featured photo exhibit, “Resilience in Inland Southern California: Enduring Policing, Violence, and Poverty,” by Humberto Flores, will present a human perspective on the issue. Flores, a first-generation Chicano from the Inland Empire, is a doctoral candidate in sociology from UC Santa Barbara whose research examines the brunt of policing in the Inland Empire. He was a featured speaker for the university’s Conversations on Race and Policing during the 2023 spring semester.

Visit the LEAD Summit XII website for more information on the summit and LEAD’s other programs.

LEAD Summit XII flyer