The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Campaign for Southern Equality, National Center for Lesbian Rights and True Colors Fund invites you to the National LGBT Rural Summit Series. The Summit Series will be held on Thursday, July 21st at Visalia Convention Center in Visalia, California. The event is free and open to the public. Registration begins at 8:30 am, and lunch will be served.
The summit will be a day of conversation and information sharing about immigration, legal services, housing, education, healthcare and youth empowerment for LGBT people and families in southern and rural American communities.
The immigration panel will be at 12:15 – 1:15pm on July 21st at Visalia Convention Center, 303 E. Acequia Ave., Visalia, CA 93291
Immigration panelists:
Noemi Calonje, Immigration Project Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights (“NCLR”)
Anna Leah Rick, LGBT Program Community Worker, California Rural Legal Assistance’s LGBTQ Advocacy Program
Allison Davenport, Immigration Attorney, Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Cara Jobson, Immigration Attorney, Wiley & Jobson
The panel will be moderated by Estefanía Álvarez, Immigration Project Assistant, NCLR.
For more information about this event, please visit the event page.
Information about getting legal help with LGBT immigration through marriage and LGBT asylum can be found on our website.
California LGBT Rural Summit Agenda
JULY 21, 2016 I 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Visalia Convention Center
9:30 am Opening Remarks
Ashlee Davis, Director, LGBT Rural Summit Series, USDA
Chris Stoll, Senior Staff Attorney, National Center for Lesbian
Rights
10:00 am Coming Together to Address Community Issues
10:45 am Immigration Challenges Facing the LGBT Community
Moderator: Estefania Alaverez, National Center for Lesbian
Rights
Noemi Calonje, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Cara Jobson, Wiley & Jobson
Allison Davenport, Immigrant Legal Resources Center
Anna Leah Rick, California Rural Leal Assistant
11:45 am Break
12:00 pm Lunch Plenary: Meet USDA Panel
Moderator: Tiana Banks, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, USDA
Oscar Gonzales, Farm Service Agency, USDA
Sarah Majdiak, Community Relations Service, DOJ
Curtis Tarver, Natural Resource Conservation Service, USDA
Janice Waddell, Rural Development, USDA
Molly Wlodarczyk, Office of Civil Rights, HHS
1:15 pm Break
1:30 pm Breakout Sessions
LGBT Youth: Their stories, their voices (Located in the San Joaquin
Ballroom C)
Moderator: April Taylor-Salery
Justin Kamimoto
Sage Valdez
Elexa Sierra
The LBT Community at the Intersection of Poverty and Healthcare
(Located in the San Joaquin Ballroom D)
Moderator: Chris Stoll, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Taylor Brown, The Williams Institute
Sarah Fielding, Legal Services of Northern California
William “Van” VanLandingham, The Trevor Project
Robbie Rodriguez, Equality California
2:45 pm Break
3:00 pm Local Champions of Change
3:45 pm Improving Access to Services to Promote LGBT Health and Wellbeing
Moderator: Gloria Garcia, California Rural Legal Assistance
Dean Welliver, Dolores Huerta Foundation Abré Conner, ACLU of Northern California
Moises Duran, Dolores Huerta Foundation
5:00 pm Closing Remarks
Ashlee Davis, Director, LGBT Rural Summit Series, USDA
