LULAC Says Puerto Rico Convention Marks The Start Of A New Era And Now Looks To The Future

Nation’s Largest and Oldest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says the Results of Its First National Convention Since the Pandemic Shows the Resiliency to Endure

Washington, DC - Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today issued a statement following the 2022 LULAC National Convention and Exposition, which concluded this weekend in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“My mandate as national president of LULAC is clear. We are turning up the heat against those who dare to deny more than 62 million Latinos in the U.S. and Puerto Rico our civil rights. We are stepping up our fight to protect our right to vote, women’s rights to decide their own health care, and saying basta to the subpar education of millions of Latino children because teachers are not getting the resources they need. Also, LULAC is raising its voice in strong solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community for their equal and equitable treatment and will defend vigorously their right to choose whom to love and with whom to share their lives. We also make it clear that despite our internal differences, we remain UNITED in our core values and mission.

More than ever, LULAC recommits to fulfilling our promise to care for our seniors and to save the lives of our military servicemembers through the Brandon Act with the cry to America’s Department of Defense: Roll It Out! No more delays in implementing access to mental health services for our military men and women in crisis. Also, put into effect the Vanessa Guillen Act fully to protect service members against the scourge of military sexual trauma (MST). Plus, repatriate deported Latino veterans who served our country honorably and have paid their time for any crime committed, many of them because of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

LULAC is the Latino community’s action force, and we will go to the streets, the statehouses, the Congress, or the White House to be heard and get what we are guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. Some would prefer we simply accept government grants and corporate money and focus on programs quietly and without as much advocacy. To that, I say, our founders forged LULAC, not out of fear but determination and courage to confront the threats and injustices and protect our families, elders, and culture. We will not be watered down or compromised by those who prefer a softer, nicer, go-along-to-get-along quid pro quo activism or attempts to buy us out. This will never happen under my watch. LULAC vows to be on the frontline, not the sideline and when our people ask, where is LULAC, we can say, PRESENTE!”

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/