2026 LULAC National Convention

This opening session kicks off the 2026 LULAC National Women’s Conference with a clear understanding of what has carried this movement forward. From the beginning, Latinas have been at its center, organizing in their communities, speaking up when it carried risk, and leading with a strength rooted in culture, family, and lived experience. That work is not behind us. It is still happening, and it is shaping what comes next. This session recognizes that truth and sets a direction, focused on leadership that is learned, practiced, and passed on, with the tools Latinas need to lead in their communities, in institutions, and in the decisions that define our future.

Latinas are one of the fastest-growing groups of entrepreneurs, starting businesses at higher rates than any other group of women across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. This session looks at the barriers they still face in 2026, from limited access to capital and SBA loans to rising costs and the instability caused by immigration raids. And still, Latinas are building across industries and leading with purpose. This is not just resilience. It is economic power, and Latinas are defining it on their own terms.

This session takes a clear look at the role women have played in LULAC from the beginning to now. Latinas have shaped this organization in ways that were not always visible, but always central to its work. It also confronts the harder truth that this history includes moments of exclusion and machismo that limited women’s roles and recognition. That history matters because it explains where we are and what has been built. The focus then turns forward, on how that leadership continues and how the next generation is prepared to step in and carry it on.

The Women’s Hall of Fame Luncheon honors Latinas whose leadership, service, and impact have shaped LULAC and strengthened communities across the country. This is a moment to recognize not just achievement, but the work, sacrifice, and commitment behind it. It is also a reminder of what leadership looks like in practice and what the next generation is called to carry forward.

The most effective way to get Latinos to vote is still the simplest one: another Latino telling them to vote. That is not theory. It is how trust works. This session starts there and looks at the role Latinas play in a moment shaped by disinformation and voter intimidation in 2026. In many families and communities, women are the ones people listen to when something feels unclear or uncertain. That makes them targets, but it also makes them central to the response. The work is direct: cut through false information, steady people in the face of intimidation, and keep communities informed and participating.

The LULAC Women’s Commission High Tea draws on a long tradition of high tea, a space that, historically, was set aside for women to gather, speak, and be seen. The Commission carries that forward with purpose, using the setting to recognize the leadership and contributions of Latinas across generations. It is a nod to that history, and a clear statement about where that leadership stands today.