FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 19, 2016

NHLA PRESENTS LATINO PRIORITIES AT REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

Latino Leaders Present Unified Agenda

Washington, D.C. – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 of the nation's preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, today hosted a Latino Priorities forum at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. The event included presentations by some of the most prominent Latino voices in the United States, who discussed policy issues and provided recommendations on topics including economic opportunity, labor, immigration, education, civil rights, government accountability, health, and environment and energy.

This event is part of NHLA’s Presidential Engagement campaign, which it launched in the fall of 2015. Continuing this campaign, NHLA is hosting the Latino Priorities event at both the RNC and the DNC. NHLA is a non-partisan organization that is dedicated to addressing the policy and advocacy priorities of the Latino community. 

More than 58 million Latinos live in the United States today. As this number increases, so does the need for political leaders to seriously consider the concerns of the Latino community. With the upcoming election, NHLA continues to advocate for policies that benefit the Latino community and the nation as a whole. NHLA also hosted a Latina Leadership Breakfast, hosted by the LatinasRepresent initiative, to celebrate Latina leadership and engage Latinas interested in pursuing careers in the public sector.

As the nation moves forward in the election process, NHLA will continue to bring the Latino priorities to the forefront of all discussions.

“NHLA leaders have come to Cleveland to engage in a constructive dialogue about the priorities of the Latino community with Republicans and others who are here to be part of the Republican National Convention,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “America’s 58 million Latinos are an integral part of the economic, social, and cultural life of this nation.  Without Latino success, America cannot succeed. NHLA's policy agenda provides recommendations for policymakers to address the critical issues that are of utmost importance to the Latino community and not only provides a roadmap for a more successful future for Latinos, but for all Americans. Anyone who seeks the presidency or who wants to be part of the next Administration should show respect for our community and want to hear our concerns and recommendations. Attacks on Latinos and immigrants only sows division and will not move our country forward.”

“The health of Hispanics is vital to the advancement of the U.S. - we are the future.  In order to have healthy quality lives and reduce the health disparities that we face, we support the expansion of Access to health and mental health care based on the ACA, prevention and treatment programs that are patient-centered, improved services for women's reproductive health, LGBTQ, child obesity, elderly caregiving, domestic and gun violence, environmental health, and rural communities, and along the US-Mexico Border and in Puerto Rico,” said Dr. Elena Rios, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Health Committee and Executive Director of National Hispanic Medical Association.

“If we want a government that looks like America and that works for all Americans, Latinos need to be well represented at all levels of the federal government. Since 2000, efforts to increase Hispanic participation in the federal workforce have only garnered a paltry increase of 1.8%. Despite being more than 17% of the general population, Latinos are still the most underrepresented group in the federal workplace at 8.4%,” said Kenneth Romero, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Government Accountability Committee and Executive Director of National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. “This chronic underrepresentation is unacceptable and steps to correct it have been a complete and utter failure. NHLA will lead the charge for a new Presidential Executive Order that has more aggressive benchmarks and that also ensures greater participation of Hispanics in the Senior Executive Service (SES) and in federal procurement.”

“The persistent undercount of the nation’s second largest population group is a civil rights issue,” stated Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO Educational Fund.  “Unless we bring all Latinos out of the shadows and into the light in Census 2020, the Latino community will continue to have disproportionate access to fair political representation and public services.  We must make the investments necessary today to ensure a full and accurate count of Latinos tomorrow.”

“Today, we stand in unity to share the policy priorities of the Latino community as set out in NHLA’s comprehensive policy agenda,” said Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director, and NHLA Executive Committee Member. “These policy priorities have been primarily guided by the contributions of Latino community members and leaders of this great country. We look forward to working together to advance this agenda.”

Leaders of NHLA member organizations unable to attend the Latino Priorities forum in person also shared their perspectives on NHLA’s public policy agenda:

“The national Latino leadership is proud to support the historic normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba by calling for the lifting of the Cuban trade embargo, The Latino community welcomes this renewed relationship with the Cuban people with the great expectation that this will result in the betterment of the live of all involved. It is our hope that the Democratic/Republican Party will embrace this opportunity for positive change in  our Hemisphere,” said Angelo Falcón, President, National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) and Co-Chair, NHLA Cuban Trade Embargo Working Group.

“The absence of a representational number of Hispanics across the federal government undercuts the government’s ability to produce policies that are inclusive, fair, and responsive to the concerns of the Latino community. As a result, Hispanics, and the issues and programs affecting them, are either overlooked or managed ineffectively,” said Al Gallegos, Co-Chair of the NHLA Government Accountability Committee and President of National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives. “Looking ahead we need to consider that in 2050 minorities will be the majority. We need to make sure that the Federal Government will reflect the face of our nation. We need to have Latinos/Latinas at the decision making level of the federal government. We need to make sure that the public, the media and the whole of society understand in general how extremely important federal workers are and particularly the representation of Hispanics in the federal government,” he continued.

“Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. workforce, make valuable contributions to our economy but often do not fulfill their potential due to unfair obstacles that are out of their control,” said Bruce Goldstein, Co-Chair of the NHLA Economic Empowerment and Labor Committee and President of Farmworker Justice.  “Government policies and investments help ensure a positive environment for businesses, but policymakers must do more to ensure opportunities for Latinos to obtain high-quality jobs that provide family-sustaining wages and benefits, keep workers safe on the job, deter and punish discrimination and other illegal labor practices, and offer career mobility,” he added.   

“A fair and independent judiciary is critical for the preservation of Latino civil rights,” said Robert T. Maldonado, Member of the NHLA Board and National President of the Hispanic National Bar Association. “But our current system of justice cannot function effectively when significant judicial vacancies plague our courts, creating judicial emergencies across the country, or when the courts lack the diversity necessary to inspire the confidence and respect of a diverse nation. The NHLA supports the nomination and confirmation of Latino/a judges and other judges of diverse backgrounds who reflect the richness of our country’s people.”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Michael Torra | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 425-0582 |

| Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (915) 373-1483 |

ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

NHLA MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

Alianza Americas | American GI Forum | ASPIRA Association, Inc. | Avance | Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network | Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute | Cuban American National Council | Farmworker Justice | Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities | Hispanic Federation | Hispanic National Bar Association | Inter-University Program for Latino Research | Labor Council for Latin American Advancement | Latino Justice PRLDEF | League of United Latin American Citizens | MANA, A National Latina Organization | Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund | NALEO Educational Fund | National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives | National Association of Hispanic Publications | National Association of Latino Independent Producers | National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. | National Council of La Raza | National Hispana Leadership Institute | National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators | National Hispanic Council on Aging | National Hispanic Environmental Council | National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts | National Hispanic Media Coalition | National Hispanic Medical Association | National Institute for Latino Policy | National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health | National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc. | Presente.org | SER – Jobs for Progress National, Inc. | Southwest Voter Registration Education Project | United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | United States Hispanic Leadership Institute | United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce | U.S.-Mexico Foundation