10/30/2022
Dear Planning Committee,
To say thank you would be an incredible understatement for the gratitude I have for each of you. Monday night was an opportunity for us to showcase to the Governor, to our Latino community, and to Utah, who was watching, the power of collaboration and unity.
Thank you familia, for your time, dedication, support, investment, and your influence in shaping the direction of the Cox/Henderson's inaugural Town Hall. While it was just a few days ago, the impact of what we accomplished is still being felt, discussed, and considered as one of the most special events of Gov. Cox's administration's outreach to multicultural communities. His commitment to do this every year has opened a door for us to consider how we can strengthen the bridges between us and make sure we grow the table to be more inclusive, more thoughtful, and consistently model that we are stronger united.
I wish I could share with you the many emails and comments I received from community members about what the Town Hall meant to them and to their families. After the event, an older gentleman said, casi llorando, that it was the first time living in Utah that he had ever attended a state government event and felt loved, seen, and valued. That meant everything.
Again, this would not have been possible without your support, sponsorship, love and trust in our division to create such a warm and inviting space together. Gracias Yudi, Celina and Pam for helping coordinate the volunteers! It was flawlessly handled! Thank you Mayra, Susi, and David for confirming the performers and entertainment! A big thank you to our incredible sponsors, the performers, and the many exhibitors and our Latino-owned businesses that brought such joy and empowerment to the night. We showcased a beautiful part of Latino Utah and our division cannot wait to do more in partnership with each of you.
There were so many moving pieces and it all came together in such a special way, we reached close to 500 Latinos plus our online audience! I pray next year, we triple that number and fill the entire space 💜
In the coming weeks, I will share a doodle poll so we can schedule a debrief meeting and discuss future opportunities to collaborate. Our team will also share pictures from the night so we can continue to post widely.
I do also want to take a moment and express gratitude for my MCA team and family. Thank you Claudia, Jenny, Rozanna, Maegan, Miguel, Jason, and Nayra for the hard lift and the thoughtful planning that went into coordinating the experience! Again, this was possible only because of all of you, the many hands and hearts that came together to bring this to fruition.
Please let me know how I can be of service and we look forward to supporting each other and championing each other always.
In Loving Partnership and Community,
NUBIA PEÑA
Senior Advisor - Equity & Opportunity
Office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox
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Director
Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs