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LULAC CELEBRATES THE LEGACY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DURING OUR 94th YEAR OF NONVIOLENT ACTIONS

January 16, 2023
For more information, contact
David Cruz at (818) 689-9991
davidcruz@lulac.org

Nation's Largest and Oldest Latino Civil Rights Organization Observes MLK Day with A Re-Commitment to the Principles of Peace Through Social Justice

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) pauses to honor the life and contributions of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. this MLK Day 2023. LULAC was founded in 1929, and as we mark our 94th year, we affirm that social change achieved through nonviolence and peaceful civil disobedience is rooted in the rights guaranteed under our Constitution. Dr. King walked for all of us, suffered the blows for all of us, and endured, even death, for the promise held out to all of us in America.

"I was proud to march with the King family in Washington DC and to continue the long friendship between the King Foundation and LULAC," said Domingo García, LULAC National President. "Since then, I have crisscrossed the U.S. and Puerto Rico to continue our actions for civil rights. Like Dr. King, LULAC members are committed to continuing the struggle for justice, however long and however difficult the journey.

Some of our longest-serving, loyal LULAC members alive today are the heroes who, like Dr. King, have raised their voices on our streets for years, worked for change in schools, and joined with their LULAC brothers and sisters on the steps of statehouses, for justice. We salute each of them as they mentor the next generation to follow in their footsteps.

Everywhere we go, Latinos are hard at work making this country stronger, adding their granito de arena, their grain of sand, to the land we call home. Every day, our students are in classrooms striving to achieve an education like those in Monterey County, California, recognized for their academic achievements. Equally heroic are the elementary schoolchildren we recognized following the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, recipients of the first LULAC Presidential Purple Hearts.

LULAC is in the halls of power, like the Pentagon, urging action by our military leaders to enact the Brandon Act and the Vanessa Guillen Act to stop service member suicides. That effort will continue until we achieve victory as we have in the U.S. Army's decision to rename Ft. Hood very soon to Ft. Richard Cavazos, the first Latino Army General in our history.

Also, more migrants are arriving at our doorstep daily, and we are there to meet with them and help them. LULAC was in Ft. Worth, Texas when innocent Latino refugees were rescued from human smugglers by the FBI. Recently, LULAC members in El Paso worked tirelessly in frigid weather, distributing coats to migrants along the border. Then, just days ago, LULAC was one of the leading voices speaking out on behalf of migrant refugees calling for immigration reform.

May this MLK Day be a time for LULAC and all Latinos to celebrate the triumph of social justice even when, like the sunrise every day, the change from darkness to light appears to come slowly. It will come, and LULAC will be here to see it!"

About LULAC

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation's largest and oldest Hispanic 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 the critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/