News (Noticias) Tagged ‘Labor Council for Latin American Advancement’

One of the key recommendations of a preliminary report on the state of Latinos in the United States is to establish a presidential advisory committee on Latino issues to increase the access of the Latino community to vital educational, health, economic, and civic opportunities.
The University of Denver (DU) and Grupo Salinas’ Fundacion Azteca America, the non-profit arm of the Azteca America Network, present today the preliminary findings of a comprehensive study on the state of Latinos in the United States.
The full report, which was produced by DU’s Latino Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship (DULCCES), includes detailed policy recommendations for the incoming Administration and Congress and will be presented to members of Congress during a televised forum in Washington, D.C. September 23.
“We’re looking forward to presenting the findings and policy recommendations to the camps of both Republican and Democratic candidates, as well as to key members of Congress and other policy makers in September,” said Luis J. Echarte, chairman of Azteca America and Fundacion Azteca America. “A stronger Latino community means a stronger nation as a whole. It’s time to take the next step from diagnosis to action.”
The report, entitled “The State of Latinos 2008: Defining an Agenda for the Future,” 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, Senator Ken Salazar, D-Colo. and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter.
DULCCES also held a forum with prominent local community leaders and leading academics to complement the consultation process.
“We are proud of the Latino Center and pleased they are engaged in this important work with Fundacion Azteca America in an attempt to address one of the great issues of the day,” said DU Chancellor Robert Coombe.
The report focuses on five issues of importance to the Latino community: education, health care, the economy, immigration and the Latino vote.
Among the general findings are that Latino communities want to be self- sufficient and contribute to the U.S. society. However, Latinos face major challenges in accessing quality education, health care, and economic services. A lack of comprehensive immigration reform widens disparities and limits the future progress of the Latino community and the nation.
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 of the community in high school dropout rates. Cultural and communication barriers for public services such as health care are very costly to the nation in the short 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.
About DU and DULCCES
The University of Denver ( www.du.edu), the oldest private university in the Rocky Mountain region, enrolls approximately 11,117 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Denver as a Research University with high research activity.
About Fundacion Azteca America
Fundacion Azteca America is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for members of the Hispanic community currently in the U.S. Fundacion Azteca America, Fundacion Azteca, Azteca America and TV Azteca are companies of Mexican conglomerate Grupo Salinas. For more information, visit www.fundacionaztecaamerica.org.
About Grupo Salinas
Grupo Salinas ( www.gruposalinas.com) is a group of dynamic, fast-growing and technologically advanced companies focused on creating shareholder value, contributing to building the middle class of the countries where it operates, and improving society through excellence. Created by Mexican entrepreneur Ricardo B. Salinas ( www.ricardosalinas.com), Grupo Salinas operates as a management development and decision forum for the top leaders of member companies TV Azteca ( www.irtvazteca.com), Azteca America ( www.aztecaamerica.com), Grupo Elektra ( www.grupoelektra.com.mx), Banco Azteca ( www.bancoazteca.com.mx), Afore Azteca ( www.aforeazteca.com.mx), Seguros Azteca ( www.segurosazteca.com.mx), and Grupo Iusacell ( www.iusacell.com). Each of the Grupo Salinas companies operates independently with its own management, board of directors and shareholders. Grupo Salinas has no equity holdings. However, member companies share a common vision, values and strategies for achieving rapid growth, superior results and world-class performance.

DU Press Contact:
Dave Brendsel
(303) 871-2775
DBrendse@du.edu

Fundacion Azteca America Contact:
Daniel McCosh
011 52 55 1720 0059
dmccosh@gruposalinas.com
“

AFL-CIO affiliate stands up for working families as Congress debates downpayment assistance
Ann Ashburn, President of AmeriDream, Inc., today praised the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) for urging Congress to preserve downpayment assistance funded in part by sellers as part of the housing stimulus package. LCLAA is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO and represents the interests of 1.7 million Latino workers in the United States and Puerto Rico. A copy of the LCLAA’s statement can be found here: supporthomeownership.com/News
LCLAA states in part, “Should Congress eliminate [downpayment assistance], thousands of Latino working families may never be able to become homeowners. This forces a good number of Latino families to either rent or resort to predatory sub-prime financing that has proven to be devastating for minority borrowers. Homeownership for Latinos is close to 30 percentage points below that of Whites. If DPAs are eliminated that alone would exacerbate economic disparities in our nation.”
“On behalf of every American family and individual that aspires to homeownership, I commend the LCLAA for its leadership in this critical homeownership debate,” said Ann Ashburn. “LCLAA recognizes that congressional efforts to eliminate downpayment assistance will only stifle the economic advancement of Latino families. LCLAA joins a rapidly growing list of supporters for downpayment assistance, ranging from members of Congress and mayors on both sides of the aisle to homebuilders, real estate professionals, and families and individuals across the nation. By visiting www.supporthomeownership.com every aspiring homeowner can tell Congress and the Bush Administration to regulate - not eliminate - downpayment assistance.”
BACKGROUND: Charitable downpayment assistance funded in part with seller participation has allowed homeownership to grow without using taxpayer dollars. To date, more than one million families and individuals have utilized this downpayment assistance, generating nearly $10 billion in home equity for those families between 2000 and 2005. AmeriDream has provided more than 200,000 gifts to aspiring homeowners, approximately 80% of whom were first-time homebuyers. AmeriDream also has helped educate 60,000 homebuyers through homebuyer education courses, helped 1,200 homeowners retain their homes when confronted with mortgage difficulties, and committed over $30 million to affordable housing development in local communities. “

Latino leaders from the Northeast will gather at the first “Latino Voices in Universal Heath Care, A Regional Action Summit,” designed to bring Latino voices to the healthcare reform debate. The Universal Healthcare Summit will take place on Saturday, May 3rd, 9:30 am to 4 pm at the Sheraton 4-Points, at 275 Research Parkway, Meriden, Connecticut. LULAC members and friends are encouraged to participate. The Summit is free and open to the public.

The purpose of the Summit is to provide a forum for our nation’s fastest growing segment of the population to discuss policies important to their community. There is much at stake for Latinos. In Connecticut alone, while Latinos are 10 percent of the state’s population, they constitute 40 percent of the uninsured. These numbers reflect nationwide trends. The summit will feature various U.S. Senators who will join a large group of Hispanic students from around the U.S. to discuss the critical issues facing their communities in the areas of immigration, education, civil rights, judicial system amongst other issues. Latino leaders will identify opportunities for organizing and building state and national coalitions to advance the universal health care for all.

For more information, please go to www.latinosnhi.org/events.php or Register HERE.

Universal HealthCare Foundation of Connecticut and Latinos for National Health Insurance are the cosponsors of the event. The Host Committee includes: the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), District Council 37 (AFSCME), NY Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, The Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, Columbia University Center for the Health of Urban Minorities, Hispanic Center of Excellence Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Universal Health Care Action Network, NYU Center for Latino Health, National Hispanic Council on Aging, and Healthcare NOW.

The League of United Latin American Citizens advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.”*

*From: http://www.lulac.org
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

“The Latino “war” against Ken Burns’ upcoming documentary, “The War,” to be aired on PBS is not over. Despite recent press statements, key Latino organizations and leaders across the country today publicly announced that the issue is far from resolved and that they will continue pressing for a respectful resolution.

Latino organizations and leaders called on Ken Burns and Florentine Pictures to meet with a representative cross-section of the national Latino leadership to explain in detail the changes they have made to the film, how they plan to include the Latino experience in their future projects and how they plan to include Latinos on the Florentine team. They also call on PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger, as well as WETA-TV’s CEO and president, Sharon Percy Rockefeller, to explain the measures that will be taken to assure that such a gross exclusion of the Latino community does not occur again in their current and future programming, and how they will supplement The War with other programming and activities to include the Latino experience, in particular with the educational programming.

At the urging of a corporate sponsor, Burns met with two Latino groups in early May and reiterated that he would include interviews with some Latino veterans in the 14.5 hour documentary, without offering many details. This was a commitment that he and PBS had already made publicly. Citing the results of this meeting, Burns and PBS officials at both the national and local levels have declared the issue closed.

“Ken Burns cannot choose to make a secret deal with only two of the many Latino groups that were involved in this issue and in discussion with him and PBS, and then claim that the matter is resolved,” explains Marta Garcí, co-chair of the New York Chapter of the National Hispanic Media Coalition and one of the founders of Defend the Honor, a Latino grassroots mobilization that first raised the alarm about Latino exclusion from this PBS documentary at the beginning of this year. “He must bring closure to this issue by paying the Latino leadership of this country the respect, respeto, of meeting with us to explain himself and his future relationship to the Latino community.”

Some progress had been made on the issue over the past several months in that Burns has added interviews with two Mexican American veterans and one Native American to the 14 hour and 28 minute documentary. “But make no mistake,” said Iván Román, executive director of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, “we will withhold judgment on how meaningful that additional material is - whether it truly speaks to the Latino experience and whether it is reflected in the companion book and educational material.”

In subsequent statements to the press, Burns has been dismissive of the arguments that the inclusion of Latinos is about historical accuracy rather than political correctness.

“It is unfortunate that Ken Burns continues to see this issue as one of politics and rhetoric that he must rise above,” said Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodrí­guez, the University of Texas journalism professor who co-chairs the Defend the Honor Campaign. “It has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with historical accuracy and inclusion.”

Rosa Rosales, national president of LULAC, said that it was crucial for the Latino organizations to publicly challenge statements in the press by Burns and PBS that the issue had been resolved. “As Ken Burns travels across the country as part of the $10 million promotional effort by PBS, he still characterizes this as a terrible misunderstanding,” Rosales said. “It’s no misunderstanding. We understand perfectly that he only added the new interviews under pressure and, right now, it looks like he’s not very proud of that new material.”

Another sticking point are the discrepancies between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant proposal that provided federal funding for the film, and what he and PBS have said in recent months. For instance, Burns has said repeatedly in news interviews that in the more than 6 years of production, “no Latinos came forward” to be interviewed about their WWII experiences. But he apparently excluded Latinos from the beginning: in the NEH grant proposal submitted in 2004, Burns and Florentine Films said that the film “will celebrate American diversity” and that it will be about the “diversity of wartime America African-American, Japanese American and white.”

“This is certainly very different from the way he discusses his film today in defending himself against Latino criticisms,” observes Jess Quintero, president of the Hispanic War Veterans of America.

That documentary will shape how Americans view WWII, and if short shrift is given to the Latino contributions, there will be a reinforcement of the widespread ignorance of the Latino contribution to the building of the U.S. “Ken Burns and PBS are playing recklessly with our history, both as Latinos and Americans,” observes Gus Chavez, one of the co-chairs of the Defend the Honor. He concludes, “This is something every American should be upset about.”

“We are very uncomfortable with taking Burns and PBS’ word that they have addressed the Latino community’s concerns before actually seeing the product,” Armando Rendon of Defend the Honor Campaign of Northern California adds. “The anger in the grassroots Latino community continues unabated by the manner in which he and PBS have handled this matter.”

Preliminary signatories to this statement include the following, with additional signatures to be added through Sept. 22, 2007.

Defend the Honor Campaign Website http://www.defendthehonor.org

Organizations:

Afro-Latino Project, Queens College (CUNY), Flushing, NY
APITO Centro Cultural de Puerto Rico (ACCPR), San Juan, Puerto Rico
Defend the Honor
Latino Literacy Now, Los Angeles
League of United Latin America Citizens (LULAC)
Lic. Rudy L. Ramos Civil Rights Chapter of the American GI Forum, San Antonio, Texas
National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Washington, DC
National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), Los Angeles, CA
National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), Los Angeles, CA
National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP), New York, NY
National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention (LCAT), New York, NY & Wash., DC

Individuals (affiliations for identification purposes only):

Vicente “Panama” Alba, New York, NY
Frances Aparicio, Ph.D., Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago
Luis Aponte-Parés, Boston, MA
Louise Bonanova, Civil Rights Investigator (Retired), Office for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education, San Francisco, CA
Marí Cabán
Grissele Camacho, Esq.
Ed (Gato) Castillo-Rubio, Commander, Viet Nam Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9305 of Imperial County
Marí Elena Cepeda, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Latina/o Studies, Williams College, Williamstown, MA
Evelyn Collazo, New York, NY
Edgar De Jesus, AFSMCE East Region Area Organizing Director, and National Bronx Member, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LACLA)
Minerva Delgado, Bronx, NY
Dra. Rosalina Diaz, Associate Professor of Education, Medger Evers College (CUNY), Brooklyn, NY
Martin Espada, Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Jaime Estades, Brooklyn, NY
Myra Y. Estepa, Brooklyn, NY
Dolores M. Fernández, Ph.D., President, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College (CUNY), Bronx, NY
Ricardo R. Fernandez, Ph.D., President, Herbert H. Lehman College (CUNY), Bronx, NY
Juan Flores, Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis, New York University, New York, NY
Cynthia Garcia Coll, Ph.D., Charles Pitt Robinson and John Palmer Barstow Professor Professor of Education, Psychology & Pediatrics, Brown University, Providence, RI
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, Queens, NY
Gabriel Haslip-Viera, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Sociology, City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY
Hilda Hernández-Gravelle, MSW, Ed.D.
Tanya K. Hernandez, Professor of Law and Justice, Frederick W. Hall Scholar, Rutgers University School of Law, Newark, NJ
James Jennings, Ph.D., Professor, Tuft University, Boston, MA
Miriam Jiménez Román, Afro-Latino Forum, New York University, New York, NY
Francisco J. Gonzalez, Cottage Grove, MN
Aldo Lauria Santiago, Ph.D., Rutgers University
Raul Madrid, Ph.D., Department of Political Science, University of Texas at Austin
Miguel “Mickey” Melendez, New York, NY
Carlos Molina, Ph.D., New York, NY
Edwin Karli Padilla, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of Houston-Downtown
Franklyn Perez, Esq., Hostos Community College, Bronx, NY
Luis O. Reyes, Ph.D., New York, NY
Eugene Rivera, Clinical Coordinator, Hill Health Center, Middletown, CT
Clara E. Rodriguez, Ph.D., Bronx, NY
Luz Rodriguez, New York, NY
Carlos Rodriguez-Fraticelli, Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
Placido Salazar, USAF Retired Vietnam Veteran, State Veterans’ Affairs, Officer of The American GI Forum of Texas, San Anotnio
Carlos Sanabria, Ph.D., Coordinator of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College, City University of New York, Bronx, NY
Izzy Sanabria, publisher, Latin NY Magazine; Salsamagazine.com
Dr. José Ramon Sánchez, Chair, Department of Urban Studies, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY
Nelson Sierra, Albany, NY
Hector Soto, Esq., La Resurreccion UMC Social Justice Committee, Bronx, NY
Candida Tapia
Donato Tapia, JD, San Francisco, CA
Hon. Esteban Torres, former U.S. Congressman, California
Gloria Tristani, former Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Luis Urrieta, Jr., Ed.D., Department of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Texas at Austin
Richard Valencia, Ed.D., Department of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin
Angela Valenzuela, Ed.D., Department of. Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Administration, University of Texas at Austin
Armando Vazquez-Ramos, Ph.D., Chicano & Latino Studies Department, California State University, Long Beach
Emilio Zamora, Ph.D., Department of History, University of Texas at Austin “

“The war of words over a program that would empower Waukegan police to enforce federal immigration laws is becoming a war of wallets.

In recent days, Latino activists who are opposed to the citys intent to apply for the program have been going to groceries, salons, shoe shops and restaurants, passing out orange signs that signal the store owners opposition to it.

“If people dont see [the sign], were urging them to boycott that business,” said Lilia Paredes, vice president of the Chicago chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.”

“The bipartisan immigration bill being considered by the U.S. Senate would force thousands of immigrants to live in legal limbo for years and strip immigrants of their civil liberties, leaders of six national Hispanic advocacy groups said Wednesday.

The organizations that denounced the current immigration-reform bill include the League of United Latin American Citizens, Hispanic Federation, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, and the William C. Velasquez Institute.”

“ADVISORY for Thursday, December 21, 2006

WHAT:
The League of United Latin American Citizens National President, Rosa Rosales will hold an important press conference in San Antonio, TX, this Thursday, condemning the unnecessary worksite raids that took place last week at six Swift & Co. meatpacking plants. Over 1,300 employees were arrested and families were separated from their children in the towns of Greeley, Colorado; Grand Island, Nebraska; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minnesota.

LULAC plans to challenge any violations of the workers constitutional rights in court. We have joined with other national Hispanic organizations, including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund MALDEF, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials NALEO and the Hispanic National Bar Association HNBA in sending letters to U.S. Homeland Secretary, Michael Chertoff urging for a temporary halt on the raids. There is growing concern that some arrested in Minnesota were denied access to an attorney in violation of federal law. Of the 1, 200 individuals arrested only 65 have criminal charges pending against them. The rest have been placed into administrative proceedings.

LULAC calls upon Congress to take action. Raids are unfair to the immigrants, their employers, their communities and our economy and disruptive to towns where immigrants have settled and contribute to the growth of local communities. Congress must overhaul immigration law in the first quarter of 2007 and create a process for hardworking immigrants to strengthen our economy legally rather than forcing them to work in the shadows and terrorizing them with ineffective work place raids.

WHO:
Rosa Rosales, LULAC National President
Luis Vera, LULAC General Counsel
Jaime Martinez, President of San Antonio Labor Council for Latin American Advancement LCLAA
Petra Mata, Director Fuerza Unida

WHEN:
Thursday, December 21, 2006 - Time 10 a.m. local time

WHERE:
LULAC San Antonio Headquarters
2806 Fredericksburg Rd. - Conference Room
San Antonio, Texas 210 733-5454 “