Thursday, July 21, 2011

Fuentes Kicks Off Hispanic Leadership Summit in Recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month

**MONDAY ADVISORY**

(Trenton) - Assemblyman Angel Fuentes on Monday will announce the upcoming Hispanic Leadership Summit, which will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month and feature speakers and workshops geared to celebrate and empower New Jersey's largest minority group.

The press conference is set for 11 a.m. Monday, July 25 in Committee Room 109, 4th Floor, State House Annex in Trenton.

"Hispanics are the largest minority group in New Jersey and are on their way to becoming the largest minority group in American," said Fuentes (D-Camden/Gloucester).  "This summit is recognition of their diversity, contributions and their potential.  I'm calling on community, faith-based and business leaders, civic organizations, as well as elected officials from all levels of government to support and help us spread the word about the summit, which I hope will be the first of many."

Fuentes, who is co-chair of the Hispanic Leadership Summit, will be joined by Leeana Roman Lozada, president of Hispanics Impacting Public Policy (HIPP) at the press conference.

HIPP, a national non-partisan public policy organization dedicated to the promotion and betterment of the Hispanic community, is hosting the summit.  For more information on the two-day summit, go to http://www.hipponline.com/.

As of July 1, 2009, according to the U.S. Census, Hispanic-owned businesses generated $345.2 billion in sales in 2007, up 55.5 percent compared with 2002.  According to new census data, as of 2010, there are 1.5 million Hispanics in New Jersey.  This makes up the largest minority group in the state, nearly 18% of the state's population.

No comments: