The first PSLC conference entitled Nuestra America - Año 2000: Reclamando Lo Nuestro was held October 1996. The conference was held in Harrisburg and included a march on the State Capitol to bring legislative attention to the concerns of Latinos in Pennsylvania as part of a proactive agenda.

The march to the capitol rotunda focusing on legislative issues was repeated in 1997 and 1998. Until 2000, the focus of the organization was the development of the conference, which continued to annually bring together some 700 Latinos and non-Latinos to work on addressing the issues confronting Latinos through education, organizing and networking.

In 2001, PSLC moved to concentrate its efforts on the development of its role as an advocate organization for Latinos in the commonwealth. An interim board of directors was appointed to focus on organizational development while a committee continued to work on the 2001 conference. In 2002, the PSLC moved from a volunteer board of community activists to a membership organization with a board of directors nominated and elected by the members-at-large.

The first elections took place in 2002 at the 7th PSLC Annual Conference. Also, for the first time, a local community offered to host the annual conference in a move to bring the conference to the local regions. »

Previously the conference had always convened in Harrisburg or Philadelphia. As a result of those local efforts, the 2003 conference was held in the Lehigh Valley and was a tremendous success in content, support, attendance, and local impact.

This year, the newly elected board of directors has concentrated on the development of its advocacy efforts. They have established an organizational structure that includes regional committees to encourage input at the local levels regarding their issues of concern. In addition, in its new role as a proactive advocacy organization, PSLC became involved in a lawsuit challenging the lack of equity in the hiring practices of the police department in the city of Reading.

In 2004, the organization’s focus is on developing and strengthening the regional committees. In addition, the board plans to continue to strengthen PSLC as an advocacy organization, with this being their primary focus, and developing a standing committee that will assume the responsibility for development of the annual conference.

The PSLC is the result of the contributions of numerous individuals to its growth and development since its inception in 1996. ◊