Forum on the Hill
The Forum on the Hill provides opportunities for the community to engage with speakers once a month, (September- June) who discuss current topics. Join the Conversations! Presented both in person at 12:30pm in Widener Hall and then recorded and posted online here the next day. *Bring a brown bag lunch to enjoy, and we serve light snacks, water, and coffee starting at Noon.
Click HERE to watch the May 8 presentation.
A $5 donation is requested for the series to help support this program when you attend in person. If you are watching online, please consider making this small contribution through the secure Donate button below, or mail a check made out to PCCH to: Center on the Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia PA 19118 if you watch online. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Registration Required to attend in person, please CLICK HERE to Register Online, or call 215-247-4654 or email msaavedra@chestnuthillpres.org
May 8
Nelson A. Diaz
Not from here, not from there
No soy de aquí ni de allá
Raised in the squalor of a New York tenement until he was 10 years old, Nelson Díaz saw his life change when his family moved to a brand-new high-rise project in West Harlem in the 1950s. That experience, along with lessons learned as the only Latino law student at Temple University, would drive him throughout his life as a lawyer and activist, fighting for the expansion of rights for all Americans.
“No soy de aquí ni de allá” is a mantra for Puerto Ricans who feel like foreigners wherever they are and who seek a place for themselves. Whether as a leader in economic development, a pioneer in court reform, or a champion of fair housing, Díaz has never stopped advocating for others. Díaz was happy to be the first Latino to “do something,” but he never wanted to be the last. Hear his story about an outsider who worked his way to the inside that offers powerful lessons on finding a place in the world by creating spaces where everyone is welcome.
Nelson A. Díaz was the first Latino lawyer to pass the Pennsylvania Bar, first Latino judge in Pennsylvania, an administrative judge, General Counsel at HUD in the Clinton administration, and a partner in a top-100 law firm in the state. He is a lifelong advocate for civil and human rights and a champion of economic development and housing reform. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Sara Manzano.
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