Giovanna Negretti, a leading civic activist in Massachusetts, comes to Elon University on Monday for a 7:30 p.m. talk on the importance of political engagement. The event is sponsored by Elon's Institute of Politics & Public Affairs, the Department of Political Science, the National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement and the Center for Civic Engagement.
Giovanna Negretti: “The Importance of Political Engagement” – Oct. 5
Whitley Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Negretti is the founding executive director of ¿Oíste? (“Have You Heard?”), the first and only statewide Latino political organization in Massachusetts. ¿Oíste? is a membership organization with a mission to promote the principles and practice of democracy and to advance the political, social and economic standing of Latinos and Latinas in the state. It offers programs in leadership development, civic education, campaign training and advocacy.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Negretti arrived to Massachusetts in 1992. She began her local political work serving as a legislative aide to State Senator Dianne Wilkerson and Senior Advisor to the Joint Committee on Insurance. Simultaneously, she served as president of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights, an organization which advocates for civil rights of Puerto Ricans in the United States while promoting independence for Puerto Rico.
On a national level, Negretti is part of the Executive Committees of the National Boricua Human Rights Network, Boricua Initiative, Santiago’s List and the Fannie Lou Hamer Project. She has coordinated rallies and demonstrations in Washington, D.C., including “March for Amnesty for the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners” (1997); “A Un Siglo de Invasión, Aún Marcha Nuestra Nación” (1998); and the “National Day of Solidarity With the People of Vieques” (2000) and the March for Legalization of Immigrants (2002).
Negretti has also coordinated several humanitarian delegations to Central America and South America and the Caribbean. She was listed by Boston Magazine as one of 40 Bostonians to Watch (June 2002) and as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Boston (May 2003). She graduated from Emerson College with a BFA, magna cum laude, is a fellow of the National Hispana Leadership Institute and has a MPA with a concentration in Leadership from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.