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Controversy precedes Latino conference
Economics in focus amid criticism for immigration stance
By Oscar Avila
The Chicago Tribune, July 26, 2009
An influential Latino civil-rights group kicked off its national conference in Chicago on Friday by spotlighting immigrants taking their oaths as citizens, a tribute to the American dream.
But the National Council of La Raza has been forced to defend itself against charges that its aggressive advocacy for Latinos, especially illegal immigrants, is harmful to America. On talk radio, its very name is decried as racist, and one former congressman even recently termed it the 'Latino KKK.'
Consequently, the group's weeklong meeting at McCormick Place will unfold in a vitriolic climate, but also at a time when the American Dream seems more elusive for Latinos who have been especially hurt by unemployment, home foreclosures and other economic woes.
In these turbulent times, the conference will enlist everyone from Cabinet secretaries to Obama advisers to neighborhood leaders to offer a comprehensive prescription for the Latino community, with topics from diabetes to philanthropy.
'Our families are in a lot of pain out there,' Janet Murguia, the group's president and CEO, said in an interview.
In most circles, the council is seen as a Latino equivalent to the NAACP that has drawn leading politicians from both parties to its past conferences, as well as major corporate sponsors such as McDonald's.
But the recent confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor capped a groundswell against the group.
Former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, who ran for president last year primarily on a platform of more enforcement of Immigration laws, blasted Sotomayor's membership in a group he called a 'Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses.' Much of the criticism stems from the group's support for legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain legal status.
Another Republican congressman, Charlie Norwood, wrote a long critique in the influential conservative magazine Human Events that the group's alleged ties to radical Latino groups made it a potential enemy to America.
Most major GOP figures, however, praise the organization as a mainstream civil-rights group. And the council's leadership has decried groups that promote ethnic separatism or a reclaiming of U.S. territory that once belonged to Mexico.
Some critical columnists and activists point to the group's very name as being troublesome. Translated literally, 'La Raza' means 'the race,' which causes some groups to accuse the group of having a strictly racial agenda.
Notwithstanding the fact that Latinos are an ethnic group that draws from several races, the council has been forced to explain that 'la raza' colloquially means 'the people.' The group says its name was specifically born from 'The Cosmic Race,' a term by renowned writer Jose Vasconcelos for the racial fusion born in the Americas.
'People feel that we're getting traction, that we're more influential as an organization and community. I think there are some people that don't necessarily appreciate that fact,' Murguia said. 'I think that there is still a fear among some in the extreme that we're a threat to the American way of life. Their thinking is not of the 21st Century, a time that reflects a huge demographic shift in this country.'
Murguia, along with groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, has blamed advocates of stronger Immigration enforcement for creating a climate indirectly responsible for violence against Latinos. The FBI reports that hate crimes against Latinos increased 40 percent from 2003 to 2007.
In an on-air confrontation that created a buzz for weeks, CNN commentator Lou Dobbs angrily clashed with Murguia about that association. Another group that opposes illegal Immigration, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, says Murguia deserves much of the blame for removing civility from the debate.
'They recognize that [Immigration reform] is a hard sell to the American public, especially at this time,' FAIR spokesman Ira Mehlman said. 'So if you can't win the arguments, the next thing to do is start attacking the people on the other side.'
Despite the emotion surrounding the Immigration debate, most of the conference will center on nuts-and-bolts economic issues.
On Sunday, the conference will feature a 'home rescue' fair offering free legal advice and counseling for homeowners at risk of foreclosure. That same day, the conference will feature a town hall on health-care reform.
The group's leaders say it is worrisome that Latinos stand to lose up to $100 billion because of subprime home loans, more than any other group, according to the William C. Velasquez Institute. Likewise, the Latino unemployment rate is 12.2 percent compared with the overall rate of 9.5 percent.
Economics in focus amid criticism for immigration stance
By Oscar Avila
The Chicago Tribune, July 26, 2009
An influential Latino civil-rights group kicked off its national conference in Chicago on Friday by spotlighting immigrants taking their oaths as citizens, a tribute to the American dream.
But the National Council of La Raza has been forced to defend itself against charges that its aggressive advocacy for Latinos, especially illegal immigrants, is harmful to America. On talk radio, its very name is decried as racist, and one former congressman even recently termed it the 'Latino KKK.'
Consequently, the group's weeklong meeting at McCormick Place will unfold in a vitriolic climate, but also at a time when the American Dream seems more elusive for Latinos who have been especially hurt by unemployment, home foreclosures and other economic woes.
In these turbulent times, the conference will enlist everyone from Cabinet secretaries to Obama advisers to neighborhood leaders to offer a comprehensive prescription for the Latino community, with topics from diabetes to philanthropy.
'Our families are in a lot of pain out there,' Janet Murguia, the group's president and CEO, said in an interview.
In most circles, the council is seen as a Latino equivalent to the NAACP that has drawn leading politicians from both parties to its past conferences, as well as major corporate sponsors such as McDonald's.
But the recent confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor capped a groundswell against the group.
Former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, who ran for president last year primarily on a platform of more enforcement of Immigration laws, blasted Sotomayor's membership in a group he called a 'Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses.' Much of the criticism stems from the group's support for legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain legal status.
Another Republican congressman, Charlie Norwood, wrote a long critique in the influential conservative magazine Human Events that the group's alleged ties to radical Latino groups made it a potential enemy to America.
Most major GOP figures, however, praise the organization as a mainstream civil-rights group. And the council's leadership has decried groups that promote ethnic separatism or a reclaiming of U.S. territory that once belonged to Mexico.
Some critical columnists and activists point to the group's very name as being troublesome. Translated literally, 'La Raza' means 'the race,' which causes some groups to accuse the group of having a strictly racial agenda.
Notwithstanding the fact that Latinos are an ethnic group that draws from several races, the council has been forced to explain that 'la raza' colloquially means 'the people.' The group says its name was specifically born from 'The Cosmic Race,' a term by renowned writer Jose Vasconcelos for the racial fusion born in the Americas.
'People feel that we're getting traction, that we're more influential as an organization and community. I think there are some people that don't necessarily appreciate that fact,' Murguia said. 'I think that there is still a fear among some in the extreme that we're a threat to the American way of life. Their thinking is not of the 21st Century, a time that reflects a huge demographic shift in this country.'
Murguia, along with groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, has blamed advocates of stronger Immigration enforcement for creating a climate indirectly responsible for violence against Latinos. The FBI reports that hate crimes against Latinos increased 40 percent from 2003 to 2007.
In an on-air confrontation that created a buzz for weeks, CNN commentator Lou Dobbs angrily clashed with Murguia about that association. Another group that opposes illegal Immigration, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, says Murguia deserves much of the blame for removing civility from the debate.
'They recognize that [Immigration reform] is a hard sell to the American public, especially at this time,' FAIR spokesman Ira Mehlman said. 'So if you can't win the arguments, the next thing to do is start attacking the people on the other side.'
Despite the emotion surrounding the Immigration debate, most of the conference will center on nuts-and-bolts economic issues.
On Sunday, the conference will feature a 'home rescue' fair offering free legal advice and counseling for homeowners at risk of foreclosure. That same day, the conference will feature a town hall on health-care reform.
The group's leaders say it is worrisome that Latinos stand to lose up to $100 billion because of subprime home loans, more than any other group, according to the William C. Velasquez Institute. Likewise, the Latino unemployment rate is 12.2 percent compared with the overall rate of 9.5 percent.
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