National Council of La Raza
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The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is a non-profit, and non-partisan political advocacy group in the United States. Its focus is on reducing poverty and discrimination, and improving opportunities for Hispanics. According to the organization's website, it is "the largest constituency-based national Hispanic organization, serving all Hispanic nationality groups in all regions". To this end, the NCLR does research, disseminates information through reports, press releases, and its website, provides expert testimony, and lobbies for causes important to Hispanics. To fund programs, the NCLR partners with philanthropic organizations, such as the Ford Foundation, and corporations, such as Citigroup and Wal-Mart. The NCLR serves its constituency by means of affiliations with almost 300 community organizations. The NCLR is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and maintains eight regional offices. The current president is Janet Murguia.<ref>http://www.nclr.org/section/leadership_janet_murguia_bio</ref>
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[edit] History
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The NCLR grew out of efforts to form a national civil rights organization that would advocate for Mexican Americans. In the early 1960s, the National Organization for Mexican American Services (NOMAS), persuaded the Ford Foundation to fund a study of Mexican Americans. The Foundation went further, hiring consultants such as Ernesto Galarza to draw conclusions from the data and make recommendations on ways to improve conditions for Mexican American communities.<ref>National Council of La Raza. "Detailed History"</ref>
The Southwest Council of La Raza formed in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1968, after meetings between regional organizers. Financial support from the Ford Foundation, the National Council of Churches, and the United Auto Workers allowed the SWCLR to get off the ground, and the organization received 501(c)(3) status later that year.
In 1972, the SWCLR lost federal funding for refusing to endorse Richard Nixon during his reelection campaign.
In 1973, the SWCLR became a national organization, changed its name to the National Council of La Raza, and moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C. Early disagreements among the leadership led the Ford Foundation to threaten to withhold funding, resulting in President Henry Santiestevan's resignation and the election of Raul Yzaguirre.<ref>National Council of La Raza. "Transition to a National Organization"</ref>
In 1973, the NCLR bylaws were amended to require equal representation of women on the board of directors.<ref>National Council of La Raza. "Formation of the Southwest Council of La Raza"</ref>
Beginning in about 1975, the NCLR began expanding its focus to include the issues of non-Mexican American Latinos. This policy was officialized in 1979. By 1980, the NCLR was funded almost entirely by the federal government. When the Reagan Administration slashed social funding, the NCLR was forced to cut back the scale of its operations. As a result, the organization began focusing on national policy and concentrating its efforts in Washington, D.C. After the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, state governments exerted more control over the disbursement of welfare funds, which led to the development of the NCLR's Field Advocacy Project to influence decisions at the state and local levels.
[edit] Criticism
The NCLR is often criticized by commentators for allegedly espousing separatist or irredentist sentiments.<ref>Hymowitz, Craig. "Birth of a Nation:At the Ford Foundation ethnicity is always job 1". Investigative Journalism Project of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture.</ref>
Anti-illegal immigration and white nationalist websites, such as American Patrol Report and The American Resistance, accuse the NCLR of encouraging illegal immigration to the United States, and the latter hosts an exhaustive list of companies and organizations that donate to the NCLR.<ref>The American Resistance. "Contributors to The National Council of The Race"</ref>
Some critics, including conservative talk radio host George Putnam, consider the NCLR exclusionary in its approach to civil rights, citing a comment made by Janet Murguía at an award ceremony for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: "We are going to put our [Latino] people first".<ref> Putnam, George. "One Reporter's Opinion – The Attorney General and La Raza", NewsMax, 2005-03-11. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.</ref>
[edit] See also
- Esteban E. Torres NCLR-Harvard Mid-Career Fellowship Program
[edit] References
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