PRESS RELEASE
July 27, 2016

Latino Leaders Unite to Promote #LatinoPriorities at the Democratic National Convention

Record number of NHLA leaders converge at a political convention to present the most comprehensive Latino policy agenda to date

PHILADELPHIA – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 of the nation's preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, today hosted a #LatinoPriorities forum at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The event featured a record number of Latino leaders, who gathered to discuss the coalition’s policy recommendations on topics including economic opportunity, labor, immigration, education, civil rights, government accountability, health, and environment and energy. The forum was held in conjunction with Univision and moderated by the network’s multi-award winning news anchor Maria Elena Salinas. 

The forum was part of NHLA’s Presidential Engagement campaign, which it launched in the fall of 2015. As part of this campaign, NHLA also hosted a #LatinoPriorities forum at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. NHLA is a non-partisan organization that is dedicated to addressing the policy and advocacy priorities of the Latino community. 

More than 58 million Latinos live in the United States today. As the Latino population grows, so does the need for political leaders to seriously consider the concerns of the community instead of engaging in hateful rhetoric. Leading up to Election Day, and beyond, NHLA will continue to advocate for policies that improve the well-being of the Latino community and the nation as a whole. 

“America’s 58 million Latinos are looking to our nation’s leaders for answers. Our community seeks candidates who will provide economic opportunity, invest in education, protect our civil rights, and finally reform our broken immigration system. Our list of policy priorities is extensive, and that is why an unprecedented number of NHLA’s members traveled to Cleveland and Philadelphia to ensure our agenda is crystal clear to the leaders of both parties. Latino success is American success. We urge both candidates for president to embrace our priorities,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. 

“The demographic growth and demonstrated commitment of the Latino community prove that the future success of our nation depends upon addressing the many issues that constitute Latino priorities” stated Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Vice Chair and MALDEF President and General Counsel.  “We will not be pigeonholed as a single-issue community; we expect our decisive impact in this coming November’s election to be answered by policies that include Latinos and reflect our priorities across all critical areas.” 

“Latinos are under attack in this country on criminal justice, voting rights, immigration and a host of other issues and our elected officials have to pay attention to our needs,” said Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “Latinos – and especially young Latinos – face risks at the hands of police and the criminal justice system. They face more crime and violence and they face more harsh punishment. Our community seeks fairness.”

“The absence of a representational number of Hispanics across the federal government undercuts the government’s ability to produce policies that are inclusive, fair, and responsive to the concerns of the Latino community. As a result, Hispanics, and the issues and programs affecting them, are either overlooked or managed ineffectively,” said Al Gallegos, Co-Chair of the NHLA Government Accountability Committee and President of National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives. “Looking ahead we need to consider that in 2050 minorities will be the majority. We need to make sure that the Federal Government will reflect the face of our nation. We need to have Latinos/Latinas at the decision-making level of the federal government. We need to make sure that the public, the media and the whole of society understand in general how extremely important federal workers are and particularly the representation of Hispanics in the federal government,” he continued.

“Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. workforce, make valuable contributions to our economy but often do not fulfill their potential due to unfair obstacles that are out of their control,” said Bruce Goldstein, Co-Chair of the NHLA Economic Empowerment and Labor Committee and President of Farmworker Justice.  “Government policies and investments help ensure a positive environment for businesses, but policymakers must do more to ensure opportunities for Latinos -- including farmworkers -- to obtain high-quality jobs that provide family-sustaining wages and benefits, keep workers safe on the job, deter and punish discrimination and other illegal labor practices, and offer career mobility,” he added.

“A fair and independent judiciary is critical for the preservation of Latino civil rights,” said Robert T. Maldonado, Member of the NHLA Board and National President of the Hispanic National Bar Association. “But our current system of justice cannot function effectively when significant judicial vacancies plague our courts, creating judicial emergencies across the country, or when the courts lack the diversity necessary to inspire the confidence and respect of a diverse nation. The NHLA supports the nomination and confirmation of Latino/a judges and other judges of diverse backgrounds who reflect the richness of our country’s people.”

“The health of Hispanics is vital to the advancement of the U.S. as we are the future.  In order to have healthy quality lives and reduce the health disparities that we face, we support the expansion of access to health and mental health care based on the Affordable Care Act; prevention and treatment programs that are patient-centered; improved services for women's reproductive health, LGBTQ health, child obesity prevention, elderly care-giving, domestic and gun violence prevention, and environmental health; and health care access in rural communities, along the US-Mexico Border, and in Puerto Rico,” said Dr. Elena Rios, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Health Committee and President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association.

“If we want a government that looks like America and that works for all Americans, Latinos need to be well represented at all levels of the federal government. Since 2000, efforts to increase Hispanic participation in the federal workforce have only garnered a paltry increase of 1.8%. Despite being more than 17% of the general population, Latinos are still the most underrepresented group in the federal workplace at 8.4%,” said Kenneth Romero, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Government Accountability Committee and Executive Director of National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. “This chronic underrepresentation is unacceptable and steps to correct it have been a complete and utter failure. NHLA will lead the charge for a new Presidential Executive Order that has more aggressive benchmarks and that also ensures greater participation of Hispanics in the Senior Executive Service (SES) and in federal procurement.”

“The persistent undercount of the nation’s second largest population group is a civil rights issue,” stated Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO Educational Fund.  “Unless we bring all Latinos out of the shadows and into the light in Census 2020, the Latino community will continue to have disproportionate access to fair political representation and public services.  We must make the investments necessary today to ensure a full and accurate count of Latinos tomorrow.”

“Today, we stand in unity to share the policy priorities of the Latino community as set out in NHLA’s comprehensive policy agenda,” said Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director, and NHLA Executive Committee Member. “These policy priorities have been primarily guided by the contributions of Latino community members and leaders of this great country. We look forward to working together to advance this agenda.”

Leaders of NHLA member organizations unable to participate in today's forum also provided their views:

The national Latino leadership is proud to support the historic normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba by calling for the lifting of the Cuban trade embargo, The Latino community welcomes this renewed relationship with the Cuban people with the great expectation that this will result in the betterment of the life of all involved. It is our hope that the Democratic Party will embrace this opportunity for positive change in our Hemisphere,” said Angelo Falcón, President, National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) and Co-Chair of  NHLA’s Cuban Trade Embargo Working Group.

“Latinas are more engaged in all aspects of political, business, and community life, which can enhance positive outcomes for Latinos across the country. Their voices and leadership continue to shape a gender-inclusive lens to policy recommendations, which is evident in the NHLA public policy agenda,” said Patti Tototzintle, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Latina Task Force and CEO of Casa de Esperanza. “One key area of concern is the relationship between domestic violence and short-term and long-term health consequences. It is estimated that one-in-three women experience domestic violence—results are similar for Latinas. Culturally relevant care is critical when working with victims of domestic violence. Health care providers can increase their understanding and capacity to better serve Latinas and create greater access and positive community outcomes.”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Michael Torra | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 425-0582 |

| Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (915) 373-1483 |

ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

NHLA MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

Alianza Americas | American GI Forum | ASPIRA Association, Inc. | Avance | Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network | Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute | Cuban American National Council | Farmworker Justice | Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities | Hispanic Federation | Hispanic National Bar Association | Inter-University Program for Latino Research | Labor Council for Latin American Advancement | Latino Justice PRLDEF | League of United Latin American Citizens | MANA, A National Latina Organization | Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund | NALEO Educational Fund | National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives | National Association of Hispanic Publications | National Association of Latino Independent Producers | National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. | National Council of La Raza | National Hispana Leadership Institute | National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators | National Hispanic Council on Aging | National Hispanic Environmental Council | National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts | National Hispanic Media Coalition | National Hispanic Medical Association | National Institute for Latino Policy | National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health | National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc. | Presente.org | SER – Jobs for Progress National, Inc. | Southwest Voter Registration Education Project | United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | United States Hispanic Leadership Institute | United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce | U.S.-Mexico Foundation