Thread: Group debates Latino issues

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Group debates Latino issues
The National Latino Congreso last week in downtown Los Angeles was the first such convention in 29 years.

Ashley Archibald
Issue date: 9/11/06 Section: News

Hispanic community leaders congregated at the Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel for the National Latino Congreso last week to discuss the future of their community in a series of workshops that spanned four days.

It was the first such convention in 29 years.

The aim of the congress was to identify the issues that affect the Latino community and "(establish) a long-term Latino agenda and action plan," according to the conference press release.

Two thousand delegates from 16 states registered for the event, where they discussed issues ranging from the environment to illegal immigration.

Resolutions on these topics were submitted prior to the conference and debated by delegates.

"The Congreso is going very well," said Placido Salazar, a delegate. "It's a major step forward in the struggle for improving our community."

Participants were categorized as either delegates or observers. Ernestine Mansour, an observer from Huntington Beach, Calif., brought her 12-year-old daughter so she could be exposed to the political issues.

Mansour heard about the conference three weeks ago. She said she decided to come and see what was happening at the conference as well as share her own concerns about the state of the Hispanic community.

Major points of the Congreso included the beautification of minority communities, increased green space and a rise in home ownership among Hispanics.

Elected officials from both California and out of state, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, State Treasurer Phil Angelides and several members of Congress attended the conference, headlining events and participating in discussions.

Also in attendance was environmentalist Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of U.S. Senator John Kerry.

In her speech, Heinz Kerry addressed the environmental challenges placed on the Hispanic community.

"Eighty-eight percent of farm workers are Latino," she said. "They are exposed to pesticides and drink water polluted by run off from farms."

In the face of environmental crises that are relevant to the Hispanic community, awareness and action are critical, Heinz Kerry said.

"I believe that the environmental movement is gathering legitimacy because people are coming to understand … no tree stands alone, and neither do we," Heinz Kerry said. "As a fast-growing ethnic group, Latinos are an important piece of that."

Immigration reform was a sensitive issue because of current struggles over border controls.

"We elected an immigrant as governor," Bustamante said. "He's from Austria, but I think he forgot because he encourages vigilantes like the Minutemen on our borders."

Bustamante's words were met with applause and cheers from the crowd.

Although many topics were discussed, the buzzwords of the conference were "Su Voto es Su Voz," or "Your Vote is Your Voice." Voter registration was made available to all participants.

"There are 4 million Latinos who are eligible to vote but have not done so," Bustamante said. "Timing is everything. The time is now."

"The Congreso is going very well," said Placido Salazar, a delegate. "It's a major step forward in the struggle for improving our community

Interesting how they refer to "our" community (the latino community), not "the" community. And who are the racists again?

"We elected an immigrant as governor," Bustamante said. "He's from Austria, but I think he forgot because he encourages vigilantes like the Minutemen on our borders."

Says the almost governor of California.

At least the governor of California has balls and believes in having the minutemen on the border. The governor also did not come here as an illegal alien sucking the taxpayers blood.
I am sure if we had a meeting of true Americans as their forefathers adopted the American culture, the Latinos would call us racist! Yet they are allowed to do this.