University of Denver and Fundacion Azteca America Release Report Calling for a Presidential Commission on Latino Issues

The University of Denver (DU) Latino Center and Grupo Salinas’ Fundacion Azteca America released a report today that calls for a presidential commission on Latino issues to increase Latino access to vital educational, health, economic and civic opportunities. The report also concludes that a lack of immigration reform widens disparities and limits the future progress of the Latino community and the nation.
DU and Fundacion Azteca America, the nonprofit arm of Azteca America Television Network, had previously released the introduction to the report during the Democratic National Convention. Today, they released the full report in anticipation of a Sept. 23 televised policy briefing for members of the U.S. Congress and representatives of the presidential campaigns. The report, entitled “The State of Latinos 2008: Defining an Agenda for the Future,” was produced by DU’s Latino Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship (DULCCES) and includes detailed policy recommendations for the incoming administration and other policymakers.
“We’re proud to be here in Washington to present these findings,” said Luis J. Echarte, chairman of Azteca America and Fundacion Azteca America. “A united Latino voice needs to be presented on these issues that are of vital interest to the country as a whole and is another example of Grupo Salinas’s commitment to deliver values to the community which it serves.”
The report is the result of exhaustive academic research and consultations with panelists at the State of Latinos event held in Denver on May 30, which included participation by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the National Council of La Raza, Voto Latino, NDN, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, the Latino Issues Forum, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, and the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. Audience members also included local Latino community leaders, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo. and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter.
DULCCES also held a forum with prominent local community leaders and leading academics to complement the consultation process.
“We are proud that the University of Denver, through its Latino Center, has been able to focus its talent and energies on these great issues, and that it has done so in a manner that moves beyond analysis to recommendations and a call for action,” said DU Chancellor Robert Coombe. “As a university with very deep roots in Colorado, we have both the opportunity and the obligation to address Latino issues in a positive and productive manner.”
The report focuses on five issues of importance to the Latino community: education, health care, the economy, immigration and the Latino vote. Latinos face major challenges in gaining access to these important services. The report advocates collaboration among the nation’s Latino organizations under the umbrella of a presidential commission as the most effective way to ensure change.
The topics covered are of vital importance to the nation as a whole. However, the efforts take on special significance due to the high and growing number of Latinos in U.S public schools, and their overrepresentation in high school dropout rates. Cultural and communication barriers for public services such as health care are very costly to the nation in the near and long term. Although the state of the economy affects citizens across the nation, the predominance of the housing downturn among current economic woes is especially difficult for the Latino community, given its ties to the construction industry.
Full text of the report available at www.fundacionaztecaamerica.org or www.du.edu/newsroom/releases/media/agendalatina.pdf . “

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