Feliciano will sit for a Q&A with none other than — wait for it — José Feliciano, the Cleveland attorney and civic leader who has long been the driving force behind the Hispanic Roundtable and its marquee event. After questions, the singer will play some of his hits.
The performance will serve as the keynote, topping off a day of programming that’s scheduled to include a job fair, a health fair and a resource fair, the goal of which is to provide as wide an array of services and solutions as possible for the local Hispanic community in one fell swoop.
“I call what we do E-cubed,” said Cleveland’s Feliciano, in a conversation last week with Scene. “We’re a catalyst for education, economic development and empowerment.”
He likened the convention to the forums of Greece and Rome, in which members of the community were gathered for substantive conversations about the issues of the day.
Workshops throughout the day will include material on the census, immigration and other urgent topics; a business pitch competition will focus on tech ideas to spur development among Hispanic entrepreneurs; and winners of a youth essay contest and art contest will present their work.
Convención Hispana is an all-volunteer operation that has been catalyzing opportunities for thirty years. Feliciano said that Esperanza and the Hispanic Domestic Violence Center, among other organizations, are products of past conventions. Both breakfast and lunch will be provided, and the keynote address will begin at 2:30.
The singer Feliciano will have a tough act to follow. He joins a distinguished list of keynote speakers that includes, most recently, Rita Moreno and current presidential candidate Julian Castro.
“We try to hard to make it a great event,” Feliciano said, “but one with substance for the community.”
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This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2019.
