On January 5, 2011 the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) welcomed Hispanic American members of the 112th Congress at Union Station in Washington, D.C. The event gathered a bipartisan group in support of the organizations’ missions to develop the next generation of Latino leaders and advance the diversity of thought in the Hispanic community, respectively. The beginning of the 112th Congress equals the largest number of Latinos in history, with 31 members in the House and the Senate, the same number that entered the 111th Congress.

The Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia (HBA-DC)

On November 4, 2010, the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia (HBA-DC) held its 33rd annual Equal Justice Awards Ceremony at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington DC. The event gathered executives, U.S. Latino leaders and lawyers from around the country. Each year, the HBA-DC presents four awards to devoted and inspiring members of the DC community. The theme of this year’s Equal Justice Award was – A Salute to Hispanics in the Judiciary, which reflects the HBA-DC’s great pride in the achievements and commitment to public service of the nine Hispanic judges in the District of Columbia.The Equal Justice Awards were presented to Rufus G. King, III, Chief Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Judge Ricardo M. Urbina, Lifetime Achievement Award; The Esperanza Education Fund (Hugh A. Johnson Jr., Memorial Award; Yvonne Martinez-Vega, deputy director of the Criminal Justice Division, D.C. Superior Court and Alejandra Castillo, National deputy director of the Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. The annual Awards Ceremony was established to celebrate the HBA-DC’s past, present, and future. Photos by Ronald Rodriguez.

Parents Step Ahead
5th Annual Gala Honors “Families Building Dreams�

On December 3rd, 2010, Parents Step Ahead, a nonprofit parental-education organization, honored five parents and a pair of grandparents at its 5th Annual “Parent of the Year� Gala at the Crowne Plaza Hotel- Dallas Market Center in Dallas, Texas. Each honoree had an opportunity to address the audience and received a plaque, a Dell desktop computer system donated by Pinnacle Technical Resources, and Internet service from Assurance Wireless.