Manuel Mendez

Manuel Mendez is a PhD student in the School of Information at the University of Maryland. Mendez is the Chair for the DC AfroLatino Caucus, who is originally from the Dominican Republic and moved to Washington, D.C. at the age of nine. After graduating from Bell Multicultural High School, Mr. Mendez received his bachelor's degree in African Studies and Communication at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Fortunate to have a host of mentors in his adolescence, Mr. Mendez's passion for supporting positive youth development and the issues plaguing the African Diaspora people are ever-apparent themes in his pursuit for affecting progressive change in his community. As a constant staple in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, Mr. Mendez's dedicated support has allowed him to forge long-term meaningful relationships with members of the community.  Mendez provides research support for the 1856 Project Summer Research Institute, provides technical support for the project's podcast, and serves on the planning committee for the Mellon-funded- Research Incubator.