[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 13, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       80TH ANNIVERSARY OF LULAC

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise to call the attention of the Senate 
to the 80th anniversary of the League of United Latin American 
Citizens, LULAC. As a pioneer of the Latino civil rights movement, 
LULAC has long fought to better the economic condition, educational 
attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of 
Americans of Latino descent.
  Eighty years ago, three organizations in south Texas united to combat 
the rampant discrimination faced by Mexican Americans. After decades of 
disenfranchisement, the Latino community in south Texas created a 
movement for equality that has contributed greatly to enhancing the 
livelihood of Latinos throughout the United States. LULAC's successes 
and achievements are many--ranging from the desegregation of schools 
throughout the American Southwest to improving access to jobs and 
government programs.
  Today, as America's oldest national Latino organization, LULAC boasts 
continued service to America's Latino population through more than 48 
employment training centers, 16 regional centers, and employs its great 
knowledge of the needs of the Latino community by advising private, 
nonprofit, and public institutions. Moreover, its unique charter 
structure allows this organization to disseminate important information 
and provide worthwhile services via more than 600 councils throughout 
the United States and Puerto Rico. The need for LULAC's services has 
not subsided through the years and a new generation of Latinos calls 
upon the institutional strength that this organization can provide. The 
challenges we face as a nation can only be resolved by the inclusion of 
all American communities and I value the sage voice of LULAC on the 
strategies to empower Latino communities.
  The organization's early efforts for political and social inclusion 
created a strong base which LULAC and other organizations now utilize 
to improve the quality of life for all American Latinos. I congratulate 
and commend the League of United Latin American Citizens for their long 
record of service to the Latino community and wish them continued 
success.

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