PULLMAN, Wash.– Registration has been extended to Sept. 25 for the first of what is planned as an annual Educated Latinas/Chicanas Leading America (ELLA) Conference at Washington State University.
The event, the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, will be held Oct. 3-5 in WSU’s Compton Union Building, said conference spokesperson Mareth Flores, a WSU student. Conference host will be the Mujeres Unidas chapter of WSU.
ELLA was established four years ago when several WSU Mujeres Unidas members attended a leadership conference in Washington D.C. “These women had a vision of creating an organization that would address the needs of Latinas/Chicanas and provide a forum for discussion at this annual conference,” said Flores.
The mission of the ELLA Conference is to recognize, foster and develop the leadership of Latinas/Chicanas through educational support, recognition and encouragement. It is committed to establishing local, statewide and nationwide linkages with Latinas/Chicanas to increase racial and gender awareness, she said.
The conference will “provide a safe environment for women in which topics like leadership, health, politics, education and family can be discussed. The workshops are designed to equip Latinas/Chicanas with tools necessary to empower themselves and those in the community,” she said.
“Because the Chicano/Latino community is the fastest growing population in the United States and also suffers from the highest high school drop-out rate, there is a need to educate the community. Women in Chicano/Latino families are the backbone to the family unit and through education the potential to reach the entire family exists,” added Flores.
For conference registration information, contact Victoria Salinas, WSU Chicano/Latino counselor, at 509/335-2617 or email at
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