http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/42857/

NCLR RELEASES “THE TRUTH ABOUT NCLR. NCLR ANSWERS CRITIC NORWOOD” RESPONSE

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today released an “open letter to the public” responding to a set of allegations reiterated last month by Congressman Charlie Norwood (R-GA) about NCLR’s work, beliefs, and policy positions.

“We have made every effort to respond directly to Congressman Norwood to no avail, leading us to suspect that he is not that interested in hearing what the facts are. We believe our track record as a respected American institution helping to open the door to the American Dream for millions of Latinos speaks for itself,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

“That being said, we cannot let these false, unwarranted, and malicious attacks on our organization go unanswered, so we are using this as an opportunity to set the record straight about who we are and what we stand for,” concluded Murguía.

The full response is posted and available for download on the NCLR website, www.nclr.org. Below is the text of the response’s cover letter:

Those familiar with the work of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) know that we are the largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., that we proudly represent nearly 300 Affiliates – community-based organizations providing a range of essential services to millions of Latinos and others in need – and that we are an American institution committed to strengthening this nation by promoting the advancement of Latino families.

We are also among the most recognized organizations in the nonprofit sector. Our work in the health arena has been honored by the Surgeon General of the United States and by numerous professional organizations. Both our former President/CEO and the current Chair of our Board of Directors have earned the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and The Nonprofit Times has recognized our current leadership with its coveted “Power and Influence Top 50” award, honoring the top 50 leaders shaping the nonprofit world.

We recognize that some people might be confused about our organization’s name, our mission, and our work. Much of this is understandable. Compared to some of our venerable counterparts in the civil rights and advocacy community, we are a relatively young institution, representing Latinos, an historically disadvantaged and oft-misunderstood ethnic minority. We have a Spanish term in our name, “La Raza,” (meaning “the people” or “community”) which is easily mistranslated. Furthermore, we are engaged in some of the most controversial issues of our time, which we believe is essential if we are to stay true to our mission.

As an advocacy organization engaged in the public arena, we know that some will disagree with our views. As Americans committed to basic civil rights and civil liberties, we respect anyone’s right to do so.

But we are also convinced that some critics are willfully distorting the facts and deliberately mischaracterizing our organization and our work. Recently, we have been the subject of a number of ad hominem attacks that we believe cross the line of civility in public discourse.

At times, we have ignored these attacks, preferring to invest our precious time and resources in our work, believing that the quality of the work speaks for itself. At other times, we have responded in a civil fashion, through private correspondence or by requesting a meeting with a critic so we can discuss our differences. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do this in every case, especially when our private requests for civil discussion are responded to with further unfounded attacks, often echoed in the media as if they were accurate, which they are not.

So, today we are engaging in an unprecedented step to make sure that the record is as clear and accessible as we can possibly make it. In response to a series of articles and press releases by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) disparaging our organization, we are publishing a full accounting of and links to his charges (many of which have been echoed in some media outlets), our responses, and related materials. We do so in the interest of full disclosure and in the spirit of complete transparency. We trust that, after reviewing all of these materials, readers will come to their own conclusions about the merits of these and similar attacks which we have been subjected to.

Janet Murguía
President and CEO
National Council of La Raza