Facts and opinions presented are those of the author

April 05, 2010

Memo From Middle America (Formerly Known As Memo From Mexico), By Allan Wall

Yes, La Raza Really Does Mean "The Race"—And The Idea Was Invented By a Nazi Sympathizer

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) calls itself "The largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization…" It agitates against controlling immigration and in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens.

This NCLR supports driver’s licenses and in-state tuition for illegal aliens and opposes a border fence, secure voter ID and state laws that fight illegal immigration and bilingual education. And its "We Can Stop the Hate" campaign seeks to shut down your right to oppose illegal immigration. It worked on Lou Dobbs!

In short, NCLR is a radical anti-American organization. Its funding, by the way, mostly comes from corporations, with some from the federal government.

Many immigration patriots have taken to calling the NCLR the "National Council of the Race". A white organization would never be allowed to use "the race" in its title, now would it? In this day and age, to be called "racist" (as defined by the multicultural left) is the biggest sin in American politics and can destroy your career.

But does la raza really mean "the race"?

The NCLR says it doesn’t. Here’s the organization’s official explanation

“THE TRANSLATION OF OUR NAME: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA: Many people incorrectly translate our name, ‘La Raza,’ as ‘the race.’ While it is true that one meaning of raza’ in Spanish is indeed ‘race,’ in Spanish, as in English and any other language, words can and do have multiple meanings. As noted in several online dictionaries, ‘La Raza’ means ‘the people’ or ‘the community.’ Translating our name as ‘the race’ is not only inaccurate, it is factually incorrect. ‘Hispanic’ is an ethnicity, not a race. As anyone who has ever met a Dominican American, Mexican American, or Spanish American can attest, Hispanics can be and are members of any and all races."

Let’s assume for a moment that this explanation is correct. Let’s assume that la raza can be translated as "the people" or "the community".

From the point of view of patriotic immigration reform and the defense of the historic American nation, is that any better?

If La Raza calls itself "the people" or "the community", it is certainly NOT referring to the historical American “peopleâ€