Matias Ramos, well-known for his blogs at DreamActivist and Underground Undergrads, moved from LA to DC last year, to fight for legal status for himself and others. He enjoys writing, dancing, and engaging in productive debate.  I believe that I belong to a world-changing generation that has already changed the nature of politics in America, and will now set off to change America itself. My ongoing deportation case marks my style as a writer, as I do not fear going back to Argentina, but I do fear that an entire generation is currently silenced.”

“Edmundo “XicanoPwr” Rocha is the publisher and content producer of The XP Report (formally known as the Para Justicia Y Libertad), a Latino-centered political blog focusing on the humanistic perspective of politics, history, and society as they relate to the Latina/o community throughout Texas and the United States. He is an activist and freelance writer and have been honored with the Texas Progressive Alliance’s Silver Star Award for Para Justicia Y Libertad! He was also selected for the New Leaders Council’s 40 under 40 Awards Emerging Leaders Award. At the Netroots, he’ll be featured on the “Crimmigration Under Obama: Pushing Back Against the “Enforcement-only” Immigration Regime” panel.

Yahaira Carrillo is a 25 year old immigrant, queer and social justice activist. She’s currently a student at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, majoring in Spanish and minoring in French. Additionally, she serves as founder and coordinator for the Kansas & Missouri DREAM Alliance, which works to help undocumented youth in their transition from high school to college by connecting them to (networking as well as monetary) resources in the community. She’s also on the steering committee of the Human Rights Campaign – Kansas City as a Diversity and Faith Tri-Chair.”Through my work I wish to highlight intersectionalities and encourage cross-cultural discussion, as well as work towards solutions, regarding issues that affect minority communities

“I’m a latte-drinking, bike-riding, New York Times-reading, taco-loving, social justice do-gooder freak show…” is how Will Coley describes himself. Originally from North Carolina, now living in Los Angeles, Will has been an advocate and organizer with immigrants and refugees in a number of cities: Charlotte, New York/Newark, and Los Angeles, as well as in Zimbabwe and Great Britain. He’s worked for a number of organizations, and has designed social campaigns and digital storytelling that cultivate community and civic participation. Some of his current and recent gigs include Detention Watch Network (whose blog he manages), National Immigrant Bond Fund, the Opportunity Agenda, Welcoming America, Catholic Legal Immigration Network and Public Interest Projects. He’ll be participating in the following two panels at the conference:

Building a National Broadband Plan: How Activists in California are Bridging the Digital Divide for Racial Justice

Crimmigration Under  Obama: Pushing Back Against the “Enforcement-only” Immigration Regime

Adriana Maestas from Irvine, California, has always had an interest in politics since she first visited Washington, DC, in grade school. Since then, she has worked on over a dozen campaigns and has been blogging at her own site, LatinoPoliticsBlog.com for nearly three years. She has a BA in political science, an MA in public policy, and is currently finishing a Ph.D. in higher education. Adriana aspires to merge her higher education and political interests, her goal being “to bring thoughtful commentary and inspire others within the Latino/Hispanic political sphere.”

Oscar Rosales Castaneda is an activist/writer/organizer based out of Seattle, Washington. He became involved in youth organizing at the university level and soon thereafter, used his knowledge to write about social justice issues. In fact, he gives his parents major credit for this as he notes that it was they who taught him the importance of working for social justice. He has contributed to the Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project, HistoryLink.org, and helped produce material for “El Comite” in Seattle, a social justice organization that traces its roots to the WTO Demonstration of 1999. His writings mostly center on labor history, social movements, immigrant rights and educational access, among other topics.

Nezua, from Eugene, Oregon, is a video artist and published author who blogs regularly at The Unapologetic Mexican, though he might better describe his work like this: “I burn digital flowers and bang on virtual drums in the name of life, immigration, race in media, art, storytelling, and the history/philosophy/ethics/psychology involved in all of the above.”

When he’s not writing about immigration, he draws, paints, plays/composes/records music, and spends time with his daughters. He also enjoys freshly ground coffee from Guatemala – or thereabouts.