The Daily Pennsylvanian
Claudia Gomez believes that as the only Latino reporter for her television station, she has a duty to represent her community.
Gomez received an Emmy nomination for her coverage of the 1993 Los Angeles riots while working for Los Angeles news station KTLA. Last night, the Fox 29 Philadelphia reporter gave the keynote address of Latino Heritage Month at Penn.
Gomez spent most of the talk making an emotional plea concerning Omar Lezama de la Rosa, a Mexican immigrant who was wrongfully accused of a rape in Philadelphia's Chinatown subway station and now faces potential deportation for a six-year old assault conviction. She called for the Latino community to unite in assistance of de la Rosa.
"I am a representative," she said.
Gomez believes she was hired by the news station to represent the Latino community. Therefore, she would be failing her duties if she did not expose stories of importance to Latinos.
Latino Heritage Month, originally established by Congress in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week, extends from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. At Penn, La Casa Latina is sponsoring a series of events throughout the month to unify the Latino student body in celebration of the culture and achievements of all Latinos.
"The events are very light, with the hope that people will get to know one another," La Casa Latina Advisory Board Chairman Ricardo Diaz said. The goal of the events is to "get the Latino students networked."
La Casa Latina also aspires to provide sound cultural support to its students.
"La Casa Latina has really worked hand in hand with the Penn community to bring in speakers who can relate to the issues currently faced by the Latino student body," La Casa Latina Director Anamaria Cobo de Paci said.
The event was in part sponsored by Cipactli, the Latino Honor Society. College senior Aurelio Marquez, who serves as chairman of Cipactli, said that the aim of the event was to reach out to the Latino student body. "We've always wanted more Latino student involvement," Marquez said. "But we're doing pretty well."
In an effort to expand the network of Latino students at Penn, Cipactli is hosting the first-ever Latino Ivy League Conference and is working with the United Minorities Council in the planning of Unity Week, which will take place from Nov. 6 to 13.
