http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news ... 961139.htm

23,000 expected to attend La Raza convention here
The Latino group is set to convene July 16. The convention last visited Philadelphia in 1998.
By Gaiutra Bahadur
Inquirer Staff Writer

About 23,000 people are expected to attend the National Council of La Raza, a major Latino civil-rights and advocacy group, when its annual convention meets here in mid-July.

The convention also will attract politicians and businesses that wish to court the country's largest and fastest-growing minority group, organizers said.

The event, from July 16 to 19, will feature Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D., N.Y.), Rep. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) and Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, among others.

Latinos now exceed African Americans, making up about 14 percent of the U.S. population, according to 2004 estimates by the Census Bureau.

"Our statistics show we are the largest minority group in the country," said Janet Murguia, president of La Raza and a former aide to President Bill Clinton. "Now, how do we leverage those numbers into advancement for our community?"

Murguia spoke about the conference at a luncheon sponsored by Microsoft at the Independence Seaport Museum yesterday.

Pedro Ramos, the city managing director, estimated that the conference would bring $8.2 million into the city. About 130,000 Latinos live in Philadelphia, he said.

La Raza, founded in 1968, is a network of community organizations and leaders who work to end discrimination and reduce poverty among Latinos in the United States, partly by lobbying in Congress and statehouses.

The conference will feature free workshops on health, immigration reform, home ownership and leadership development and a free expo featuring Fortune 500 companies, Latino-owned and -run businesses and nonprofits, colleges and universities, and government agencies.

The La Raza annual convention last met in Philadelphia in 1998.

"We are very excited to be back in Philadelphia," Murguia said. "We are so pleased to be here and see how the Latino community has grown and how Philadelphia has diversified."