An Afro-Colombian Mission at the Congressional Black Caucus

Eight distinguished professionals aim to construct the foundation for a new era in the relationship with Afro-American leadership.

From September 16 to 20, Washington D.C. will host the 45th Annual Legislative Conference Congressional Black Caucus (43), recognized as the most important event of its kind in the United States.

This year, the Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) will include a “Misión Colombia” comprised of 8 professionals that include two Ph.D.’s, two doctoral candidates, a senior accountant with an MBA and two renowned professionals from the business world.

The mission is being organized and put forth by the Fundación Color de Colombia, an institution of professional Afro-Colombians.

Objectives of the Mission

This civil society delegation will include the presence of Luis Gilberto Murillo, Head of the Presidential Program for the Pacific Coast, who will look to consummate the actions of three main objectives:

i) Protect the portion of the 15 million dollars earmarked for Afro and indigenous communities from annual budget cuts;

ii) Empowerment of Afro-Colombian leadership in the relationship between the United States and Colombia and;

iii) Support and secure relationships of sectorial and thematic cooperation with civil society institutions in the United States.

In order for these objectives to come to fruition, it is necessary to reactivate the relationship with Washington D.C. after having reported substantial gains in the last decade under the leadership of professionals such as Oscar Gamboa, Marino Cordoba, Robert Asprilla and Luis Gilberto Murillo himself.

In this new era of relations, the main objective is to shift the focus of program sponsorship from the U.S. Congress solely and distributing it among other governmental entities such as the U.S. Department of State, civil society organizations and, naturally, the U.S. Congress.

Misión Colombia Members

Luisa Pino will be the representative in the area of Business and Consumer Finance. CPA, MBA. Specialices in corporate taxation. Has 8+ years of experience working for multinational consultancy firms in the US and India. Both Bachelors and Masters degrees from the United States.

Luis Felipe Posso will represent the Misión in the area of sports. He is a former athlete and businessperson in the area of sports; he is also a member of the FIFA and the IAAF.

In the realm of Education and Science and Technology, the following professionals will be in representation:

Hugo Caicedo, Ph.D. in biomedical technology from the University of Illinois in Chicago and scientific researcher in Johnson & Johnson;

Antonio Copete, Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Harvard University and researcher in the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and;

Bonnie Prado, doctoral candidate in Astrodynamics and Spatial Applications in the School of Aeronautics & Astronautics at Purdue University, Indiana.

In the area of Public Health, the representatives will be Gustavo Aguilar, surgeon and Head of Asmet Salud and Farith Diaz, Ph.D. candidate in environmental engineering at the University of Texas in Austin and expert in the impact of mining-based mercury on the environment.

Elsi Gabriela Angulo, social activist, former district attorney currently exiled in Canada, and author of “Revelaciones de una Fiscal Amenazada” (Revelations of a Threatened District Attorney), will be the representative in the area of social movement.

Apart from representing the various sectors that are important for Afro-Colombians, the delegates will also attend meetings with the Committee of the Civil Society of the United States, the main players in the U.S.-Colombia Action Plan on Racial and Ethnic Equality (CAPREE) that has already ratified by both nations.

Furthermore, the Misión Colombia will attend meetings with the Colombian Ambassador to the U.S., Juan Carlos Pinzón, representatives from the Bank of Inter-American Development along with other meetings programmed in Georgetown and Howard Universities.

Translator: Jeremy L. McNeal, Ph.D.

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Etiquetas

• 45th Annual Legislative Conference Congressional Black Caucus
• Misión Colombia