LULAC Joins Coalition In Denouncing Hate Speech

Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Speaks Out Against COVID-19 “Stay-At-Home” Protests in Illinois

Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) on Monday joined with a broad cross-section of civil rights, faith-based and social justice organizations in a virtual press conference to defend residents in Illinois who have come under attack for following COVID-19 safety guidelines.

“Recent protests in Illinois have taken on a very personal and ugly tone filled with antisemitic, racist and even extremist statements that inflame emotions against diverse communities that are observing the stay-at-home order and which can easily trigger violence against them,” said Sindy Benavides, National Chief Executive Officer. “At the same time, people need to remember that Latinos have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus in part because five out every six Latino workers cannot do their jobs from home and in fact, many of them are considered essential workers who must instead venture out to earn a living. For us, our actions are governed by necessity not political statements,” she added.

Other groups participating in the press conference included ADL (Anti-Defamation League), Asian Americans Advancing Justice of Chicago, Chicago Urban League, Equality Illinois, Gads Hill Center, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, Peoria NAACP, Northwest Side Housing Center, and St. James Cathedral.

“We wanted to make it clear that while it is important to respect the freedoms of those who choose to voice their protests against the guidelines under which we are all living, it is also vital that our views are respected,” said Benavides. “LULAC can and will oppose hate speech which can easily lead to actions threatening the safety and well-being of other innocent individuals and families among Latinos, Blacks, Asians or any other marginalized community,” she added.

Today’s entire online press conference can be seen here.

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/