The Nevada Equal Rights Commission Presents the Nevada C.R.O.W.N. Forum
In celebration of World Afro Day and passage of SB 327
Virtual Event offered on 2 days, September 14 or 15
Downloads: Nevada C.R.O.W.N. in a Nutshell | Legislation | Flyer | Press Release
MEET THE PANELISTS
Senator Dina Neal
Senator Dina Neal is the bill sponsor for SB 327, now known as Nevada’s version of the C.R.O.W.N. Act. Signed by Governor Sisolak on June 4, 2021, Nevada is now the 12th State to offer protections to Nevadans in employment and schools based on hair texture attributed to African Ancestry. Before elected to her Senate seat in November, Senator Neal was an Assemblywoman for District 4. Senator Neal is also a member of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. She is a professor at Nevada State College and earned her law degree at Southern University School of Law.
Juliana Urtubey
Special education teacher Juliana Urtubey made recent history after she became the first Latinx to be named the National Teacher of the Year since 2005. She’s also the first educator from Nevada to win the award and she told Education Week she is only the third special educator to receive the national honor. Miss Urtubey has been a teacher for 11 years and currently works at Booker, Sr. Innovative Elementary School teaching kindergarten through 5th grade. She also works as an instructional strategist for the school crafting individualized lessons to match the needs of the students.
Professor Wendy Greene
Professor D. Wendy Greene (Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law) is an internationally recognized U.S. anti-discrimination law and race scholar whose work explores how constructions of identity inform and constrain the scope of civil rights laws. Professor Greene is a legal expert and advisor for federal, state, and municipal level C.R.O.W.N. Acts and similar civil rights legislation, including Nevada’s SB 327, alongside serving as a legal expert in groundbreaking civil rights cases challenging race-based natural hair discrimination in workplace and educational contexts.
Naika Belizaire
Naika is a senior at Advanced Technologies Academy as a legal studies major and a Youth justice Leader with Code Switch Restorative Justice for Girls. She is an aspiring attorney with a focus on equity for the African American community and other marginalized people. Her current activism is focused on creating safe spaces for people of color at home, school and work, as well as implementing Black history education in schools throughout Nevada.
Kara Jenkins, Moderator
NERC Administrator Jenkins oversees employment, housing and public accommodation complaints of discrimination relating to race, national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, and gender identity or expression for the Nevada Equal Rights Commission. Miss Jenkins earned her law degree at Loyola University School of Law New Orleans and Executive Education Certification from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She also serves on the Governor’s Task Force to prevent sexual harassment.
LILA VIZCARRA, CO-MODERATOR
Lila Vizcarra serves as the Chief Compliance Investigator/Outreach Specialist to the Nevada Equal Rights Commission. Ms. Vizcarra provides supervision to investigative staff and assists the Administrator in providing state-wide EEO training to employers and community groups. Ms. Vizcarra has a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Cedric Cole
Cedric Cole currently serves as the Executive Manager, Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action/ADA and Title IX programs for the Clark County School District (CCSD). In that role, Cedric and his team are responsible for investigating and resolving internal and external complaints of discrimination, facilitating reasonable accommodations for disabled/medically fragile employees, and for CCSD’s overall compliance with state and federal anti-discrimination laws.
