Latino Policy Forum Accomplishments 2023-2024

Empowering Latino Communities through Advocacy and Action.
Inform. Influence. Lead.

The Latino Policy Forum is the only organization in the Chicago area that facilitates the involvement of Latinos at all levels of public decision-making. Its goals are to improve education outcomes, advocate for affordable housing, promote just immigration policies, and strengthen leadership within the community.

The Forum leverages the power of data to inform, influence and lead, understanding that advancing Latinos advances a shared future.

The Forum’s 2023-2024 accomplishments include:

Educación

Strengthening kindergarten readiness for English Learners

  • Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), legislation to create a new state Department of Early Childhood which will streamline early childhood programs and services all children and families, passed thanks to efforts by Governor Pritzker’s team, Leader Lightford, Representative Canty, the Latino Policy Forum and other education advocates.   
  • Additionally, SB 1 enshrined the rights of all children birth-to-five in Illinois, regardless of immigration status, to access public early education programs and services. Illinois is the first state in the nation to take this step to protect the rights of undocumented students in early childhood.
  • Five-hundred more Illinois children will have access to full day preschool and more vulnerable families will have early support because of a $250 million investment in the Smart Start plan. The Forum, along with partners and advocates worked to make these investments possible.
  • We have evidence demonstrating the powerful benefits of full-day bilingual preschool for English Learners thanks to a partnership between the Forum and the UChicago Consortium on School Research. The research fuels Forum advocacy to allocate more support for bilingual programs.  
  • Equipped more than 1,700 bilingual families in the state with information and resources that will help them advocate for their English Learner children and support their mental health and wellbeing. Many of the resources are tools informed by research from the UChicago Consortium on School Research. 

Increased recruitment and retention of bilingual educators

  • Illinois school districts are better prepared and supported to recruit and retain bilingual educators as a result of guidance published by the Forum in collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education on how to maximize impact of $45 million in newly allocated Teacher Vacancy Grants.
  • Illinois childcare providers will be better prepared to provide quality education to multilingual learners through a Gateways professional development training series that the Forum will help inform and for which the Forum secured funding. The training will be developed in FY25.
  • The Illinois House of Representatives Teacher Shortage working group better understands the impacts of the teacher shortage on Latino and English Learner students in the state after testimony from the Latino Policy Forum and the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC).
  • More community members in Chicago and Illinois are aware of the local bilingual teacher shortage after several published OpEds and media appearances.

Increased the number of Latinos and undocumented students achieving a college degree

  • State and federal legislators were able to support and advocate for undocumented and Latino students in their districts and alleviate the negative impact of FAFSA changes because of technical expertise and support from Forum staff.
  • More undocumented students in Illinois are eligible for in-state tuition at public universities because of an amendment to the ACEVEDO Bill/SB 461, which MALDEF, the Illinois Dream Fund and the Forum and other partners successfully advocated for.  
  • Undocumented liaison staff at two- and four-year public higher education institutions can better support students and families because of training and resources provided by a collaboration between the Forum and the Illinois Dream Fund. 
  • Students, parents, college administrators, and advocates are better equipped to support Latino high school and college students to enroll, persist, and graduate from four-year institutions because of the publication and dissemination of the Forum’s Latino College Landscape Study. This analysis included five literature reviews conducted in collaboration with IWERC, a 40-person Advisory Committee of various college presidents, Superintendents, advocates, and students, along with conducted interviews and focus groups. The Forum reached more than 1,000 stakeholders through public events and media.
  • More education practitioners and community members are aware of the barriers that keep Latino college students from graduating, recent FAFSA challenges to student enrollment, and the Forum’s higher education agenda because of an OpEd published in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Vivienda

  • Our community is more aware of doubled-up homelessness, the most prevalent form of homelessness among Latino communities that is often invisible, because of a public awareness campaign that elevates the stories and nuances of this precarious living situation. The campaign is a partnership of the Latino Policy Forum and the Illinois Latino News Network. The content developed has been viewed over 100,000 times. 

Immigration/Housing

  • Approximately 500 individual social service providers are better equipped to inform their clients about their housing rights, public benefit eligibility and the public charge rule, and how to be more civically engaged because of bilingual presentations by Latino Policy Forum staff.
  • The Illinois General Assembly united to send a message to the White House that and the entire country that immigrants are vital to our communities and the economic growth and success of our state, after the Latino Policy Forum led, in partnership with members of the Work Permits for All campaign, the advocacy and passage of House Joint Resolution 69 (H.J.R. 69), the Work Permits for All resolution. Illinois became the largest convening body in the country to pass such a resolution.
  • Alongside other efforts around the country, the effort to pass the Work Permits for All resolution in Illinois, resulted in an executive action by the Biden-Harris administration aiming to provide immigration relief, work permits, and a pathway to legal permanent residency for an estimated 500,000 undocumented spouses and 50,000 stepchildren of U.S. citizens (21,000 in Illinois).
  • Advocates, service providers, and leaders in government and philanthropy —more than 400 individuals— were able to come together, connect, share resources and coordinate efforts to assist migrants as part of the Welcome to IL Coalition, a group primarily led by the Latino Policy Forum. Issues addressed include short- and long-term housing for new arrivals, mental health care, and legal services.

Immigration/Multicultural Leadership Academy (MLA)

  • Community members have a better and more nuanced understanding of the experiences of recent migrants to our communities because of a three-part webinar series cohosted with Alianza Americas, the Center for Immigrant Progress, The Resurrection Project, and the National Immigrant Justice Center. The series addressed the root causes of migration, how Chicago has responded to the humanitarian crisis, and how long-term Black and Latino residents and new neighbors are coming together to create community.
  • Young and adult African-American and Latino community members were able to learn about the experiences of new arrivals, listen to community concerns, share perspectives, and devise potential advocacy solutions to mitigate tensions between our communities, through a platform led by Multicultural Leadership Academy alumni and Forum staff.  

MLA

Promoted Black and Latino unity

  • There are now 264 diverse leaders trained in the Multicultural Leadership Academy. This year, 22 Black and Latino leaders completed the program.
  • Alumni led community projects and peace walks that promoted Black and Latino unity, facilitated by the skills and relationships built while in the Multicultural Leadership Academy, including:
    • Think Outside Da Block Annual Roll-N-Peace eventBlack, Brown, & Blue Holiday Ice Skating event with the Chicago Police DepartmentH.E.Y (Healing Every Youth) with Poetic Platforms Unity Walks in Humboldt Park and Buttercup Park
    • Indigenous People’s Day celebration in collaboration with the Chicago Park District
  • More than 100 Black and Latino leaders interested in the MLA learned about the program by participating in a series of panel discussions with alumni, titled “The Power of One,” which were facilitated by the Latino Policy Forum.
  • More than 100 community members, comprised of Black and Latino youth and adults, had open dialogue about tensions arising from the latest influx of migrants to Chicago as part of focused conversations led by MLA alumni and facilitated by the Latino Policy Forum.

Research

Illinois Latino Agenda

  • Latino interests are represented by a unified voice under the Illinois Latino Agenda, now comprising 34 Latino leaders. This is the largest coalition of Latino leaders in the region.
  • Increased impact in advocacy through a successful Latino Unity Day with more than 400 participants. Speakers included Governor Pritzker and three of four Deputy Governors.

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