Saul Escobar Toledo

Saul Escobar Toledo, secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Mexican Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD), and former Diputado Federal (member of the Mexican national legislature), will be speaking on Saturday, April 28, 7 p.m., at St. Peter\'s Episcopal Church, located at 1950 Trumbull, in Detroit. The event is free and open to the general public.

Following his address, a panel will explore the topic: "Immigration, Globalization and the Future of U.S.-Latin American Relations."

Toledo was trained as an economist at La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City and became one of the founding members of the PRD in 1989. He has served the party in various functions, including coordinator of political economy and fiscal reform, member of the national planning committee and PRD representative to the Federal Electoral Institute. He is currently secretary of Foreign Affairs of the PRD Executive Committee. He has published essays on labor reform and effects of globalization in Mexico and taught economics and political science at UNAM, Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana ¬Azcapotzalco and Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia.

This program is sponsored by Democratic Socialists of American, Wayne State University’s Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies, Freedom House, American Civil Liberties Union of Metro Detroit and other community organizations.

Panelists include: Sharon Lean, Political Science Department, Wayne State University; Sarika Chandra, English Department, Wayne State University; and a representative from the American Liberties Union. They will be discussing the legal and legislative issues regarding immigration.

Lena, a specialist in Latin American politics, received a Ph.D. from the University of California-Irvine and a master’s from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales in Mexico City.

Chandra, a specialist in globalization studies, received a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to nearly 33,000 students.