State Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color Comes to Coachella

June 28, 2012 /

Coachella, Calif. — Following standing room-only hearings in Oakland, Los Angeles and Fresno, state legislators will head to the Coachella Valley on June 29 for a final field hearing investigating ways to improve the lives of young men of color in the state.

The hearing will take place from 3 to 6 p.m., at Bobby Duke Middle School, 85358 Bagdad Avenue. Opening ceremonies will begin at 2:15 p.m. The hearing will focus on increasing workforce readiness and access, preventing youth violence and promoting youth leadership.

A Boys and Men of Color Cultural Celebration will be held on the eve of the hearing, June 28 at Raices Art Lab, 1494 6th Street. The public is invited to enjoy music, cultural performances, and food from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Assemblymember V. Manuel Perez and Assemblymember Sandré Swanson are expected to attend.

The California Assembly’s Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, which was formed by Speaker John Pérez at the request of the Chair, Assemblymember Sandré Swanson, and includes Assemblymember V. Manuel Pérez, seeks to harness the promise and lessons from the frontlines of the Coachella Valley’s most successful and innovative policies and programs.

Members of the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color will be attending the hearing. Those scheduled to testify at the hearing include Dr. Darryl Adams, Superintendent, Coachella Valley Unified School District; Dr. Juan De Lara, Assistant Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, University of Southern California; Mayor Eduardo Garcia, City of Coachella; Richard Alvarez, Homeboy Industries; Christina Martinez, Probation Division Director, Riverside County; Ernie Rios, Program Director, Pathways to Success, Coachella Valley Economic Partnership; and youth participants from several local organizations.

This Coachella hearing will be followed by a final hearing in Sacramento on August 8 when the Select Committee will share its overall findings and policy recommendations.

To view the hearing live, go to: http://www.asmdc.org/members/a80/boys-and-men-of-color

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,