Blog Post
Hispanic Heritage Month
On October 14, the Office commemorated Hispanic Heritage Month with a lunch hour virtual event. This year, we were honored to welcome two distinguished speakers: Sonja Diaz, Founding Executive Director of the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Initiative, and Diego Cartagena, President and CEO of Bet Tzedek, a nonprofit that provides free legal services to low-income residents of Los Angeles County. Presented by the Office’s Diversity Committee, the event recognized the important role Latinx people have played at the forefront of the labor rights movement in the United States. This informative panel of experts examined the history of Latinx workers, specifically in the Central District, as well as the disproportionate health and economic impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Latinx workers and communities of color. The panelists discussed the fact that Latinx workers tend to serve as essential workers on the front lines and their health and safety are largely dependent on workplace protections put in place by their employers. The group also noted that the pandemic has had an even greater impact on Latinas, who have left the workforce at higher rates than any other demographic during this period.


Updated January 20, 2025
Topic
Community Outreach
Component