Latino Political Network plans first gala fundraiser
The first Annual Latino Voices Together Gala will be held May 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Lucca, the Latino Political Network announced this week.
“We have wanted to do a gala since we first started this work so that we can recognize the Latino public servants across Iowa and give them applause they deserve. The night is also about inspiring young Latinos to run for public office,” Rob Barron wrote in an email. He is one of the founders of LPN and also a Des Moines Public Schools board member. He was the first Latino elected to office in Polk County in 2013.
There does not seem to be any formal list that keeps track of Latinos being elected to office in Iowa, so LPN has combed the state. “We have done a pretty extensive census and can say that there are 25 Latino elected officials in Iowa,” Barron said.
He said there are 7,500 federal, state, county, school, and city elected offices in Iowa. Latinos make up 6 percent of Iowa’s population. “If the number of Latino elected officials was on par with the overall population there would be 450 Latino elected officials in Iowa,” wrote Barron, who is also a special assistant to the president at Grand View University.
Ten Latino elected officials are expected to attend the gala. Proceeds will be used to support LPN’s programming and to help provide for a community organizer position, expected to be filled by the end of summer. The gala’s keynote speaker is Nebraska state Sen. Tony Vargas. Register here.
LPN began three years ago with Barron and Omar Padilla as a nonprofit initiative to elect more Latinos across Iowa through nonpartisan education and empowerment, according to a news release.
“We have wanted to do a gala since we first started this work so that we can recognize the Latino public servants across Iowa and give them applause they deserve. The night is also about inspiring young Latinos to run for public office,” Rob Barron wrote in an email. He is one of the founders of LPN and also a Des Moines Public Schools board member. He was the first Latino elected to office in Polk County in 2013.
There does not seem to be any formal list that keeps track of Latinos being elected to office in Iowa, so LPN has combed the state. “We have done a pretty extensive census and can say that there are 25 Latino elected officials in Iowa,” Barron said.
He said there are 7,500 federal, state, county, school, and city elected offices in Iowa. Latinos make up 6 percent of Iowa’s population. “If the number of Latino elected officials was on par with the overall population there would be 450 Latino elected officials in Iowa,” wrote Barron, who is also a special assistant to the president at Grand View University.
Ten Latino elected officials are expected to attend the gala. Proceeds will be used to support LPN’s programming and to help provide for a community organizer position, expected to be filled by the end of summer. The gala’s keynote speaker is Nebraska state Sen. Tony Vargas. Register here.
LPN began three years ago with Barron and Omar Padilla as a nonprofit initiative to elect more Latinos across Iowa through nonpartisan education and empowerment, according to a news release.
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