HISPANICS IN GOvERNMENT Congress Asked To Pledge To Respect The
Latino Community NCLR looks to
congressional leaders to set national tone
R
ecent U.S. Census numbers show that the Latino community in the
United States is growing and becoming an ever stronger force politically and economically throughout the country. However, many still blame Hispanics for several of the country’s woes, tar- geting them with vicious and inaccu- rate attacks. To combat these injustices, NCLR (National Council of La Raza) is asking all members of Congress to pledge to respect the Latino commu- nity.
With the help of Grammy Award–
winning band Ozomatli, NCLR re- cently launched the Pledge for Respect campaign. In a new public service an- nouncement released by NCLR, mem- bers of the group encourage viewers to contact their representatives and tell them to stop dehumanizing the Latino community. “There is right and there is wrong,
and the terrible things that some of the leaders of our country are saying about Latinos are without a doubt wrong,” said Ozomatli band member Wil-Dog Abers. “We’re standing with the La- tino community as we always have, and we’re encouraging our country to stand up and face these voices of intol- erance.” The campaign kicked off on Thurs-
day, March 10, 2011, as hundreds of Hispanic leaders from the NCLR Af- filiate Network visited their senators and representatives on Capitol Hill and asked them to sign the Pledge for Respect. Representatives who have already signed the pledge include: Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D–IL), signed
March 1, 2011 72 HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE
Joe Baca (D–CA), signed
March 1, 2011 Charles A. Gonzalez (D–TX), signed March 2, 2011
Ben Ray Lujan (D–NM), signed March 10, 2011 Judy Chu (D–CA), signed March 10, 2011 Bob Filner (D–CA), signed March 10, 2011 Chaka Fattah (D–PA), signed
March 10, 2011 By signing the pledge, members of
Congress commit to ending the use of irresponsible and inflammatory rheto- ric against Latinos and to focusing the national discourse on a more respectful debate about issues that truly matter to all Americans. “Politicians need to set the example
for all Americans on this issue,” said NCLR President and CEO Janet Mur- guía. “Demonizing Latinos does noth- ing to fix the problems with our econo- my and immigration system. Members of Congress need to give Latinos the respect that they deserve and work hand-in-hand with us to find real solu- tions to improve America.” She added that “while NCLR does
not expect every member of Congress to agree with our positions on issues
Celebrating 19 Years of Diversity
such as immigration reform, we do be- lieve that every senator and congress- person can commit to using civil lan- guage that shows consideration for the Hispanic community.” The campaign will run until May,
when NCLR will publish a list of those in Congress who have signed the pledge, indicating who stands with the Latino community on this issue. Everyone is encouraged to get in-
volved and send a message to Con- gress saying that America will not tol- erate disrespect toward Latinos or any other community. Participants can visit the NCLR website or text RESPECT to 62571 to find out how to contact their representatives. NCLR hopes that with the participa-
tion of as many members of Congress as possible, we can end the use of hate- ful speech against Latinos and work toward the common goal of finding the solutions that will better America. NCLR—the largest national His-
panic civil rights and advocacy orga- nization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit
www.nclr.org, or follow us on Twitter | MySpace | Face- book.
www.hnmagazine.com
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