Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th. Our speakers María Amparo Escandón, Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, Héctor Tobar, and Julissa Arce deliver inspiring talks on a range of topics from Latinx culture to education equality. They teach audiences to embrace inclusivity and remind us to tackle challenges with courage and determination.
Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, as a second-generation immigrant. When she was fifteen, complications with her parents’ legal status forced them to return to Mexico. When this happened, Elizabeth stayed behind in the United States in order to pursue her education. She is now a product manager at a big tech company, where she uses her background and knowledge to empower communities. She has been featured on NPR’s Latino USA and delivered a viral TED Talk on finding opportunity and stability in the United States while examining flaws in narratives that simplify and idealize the immigrant experience.
⟩ Click here for more information on Elizabeth Camarillo Guiterrez
Héctor Tobar is the Los Angeles-born author of seven books, including the memoir Our Migrant Souls, winner of the 2023 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. He is also a contributing writer for the New York Times opinion pages and an associate professor at the University of California, Irvine. Héctor is a sought-after speaker who delivers inspiring talks on a range of topics, from Latinx culture to a meditation on race and inequality.
Julissa Arce is a nationally recognized author, speaker, producer, and social changemaker. She is a Crooked media contributor and a frequent writer for TIME Magazine, and has provided political commentary across numerous TV networks including NBC News, Bloomberg TV, CNN, and MSNBC. Julissa is also the cofounder of the Ascend Educational Fund, a college scholarship and mentorship program for immigrant students regardless of their immigration status. Julissa discusses the challenges in the workplace and what this new generation of talent needs to truly be empowered.
María Amparo Escandón is a New York Times best-selling bilingual author. Her novel L.A. Weather is a Reese’s Book Club pick. She founded The Other Truth Productions, a content production company, with a pipeline of projects in development, like the television mini-series based on her novels. In L.A. Weather, climate change is a central theme in the novel that the characters must face as their family connection unravels. María analyzes how intimately we relate to news and environmental stories. Her talks also emphasize how Latinas are driving our economy, and what we can do to uplift Latina narratives and entrepreneurs.
IN THE NEWS
The shifting conversation around citizenship | Julissa Arce | TEDxTexasTechUniversity
For more information on booking one of these speakers for in-person or virtual events, please contact Colleen Osborne by emailing colleen.osborne@macmillan.com or calling (917)-697-2063.