Citizenship, Voter Mobilization & Immigration focus of 2006 NCLR conference.

The unprecedented mobilization of the Latino community this year and the need to better integrate Latinos into the political process through citizenship and voter registration will be among the key issues at the 2006 Annual Conference of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., which will be held July 8-11 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. The Conference’s return to Los Angeles was spearheaded by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

“We are most grateful to Mayor Villaraigosa for facilitating our return to this great city. This year’s Conference theme, ‘Achieving the American Dream in a New Century,’ is fitting since the American Dream is alive and well in Los Angeles, with a Latino as head of the city, one of the most active and mobilized Latino populations in the nation, and the country’s most dynamic labor movement,” noted Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

NCLR’s Annual Conference, presented in part by Bank of America, is the single largest gathering of its kind in the Hispanic community, serving as the meeting ground for more than 20,000 community organization leaders, activists, and volunteers; elected and appointed officials; members of the corporate, philanthropic, and academic communities; senior citizens; college students; and youth.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse will open the Latino Expo USA, sponsored by State Farm Insurance Companies, a popular feature of the Conference with more than 300 exhibits from leading Fortune 500 companies, Hispanic-owned businesses, nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, and government agencies. The Expo will also feature a Homeownership Fair which assists interested persons with information and advice on every step of the homebuying process. The NCLR Diabetes Dash – a 5k run/walk – will kick off this year’s Health Fair, which provides free health screenings, information, and counseling on key health and lifestyle issues affecting the Hispanic community.

This year’s Town Halls will focus on HIV/AIDS in the Latino community, youth, immigration and the labor movement, and the future of race and ethnic relations in the U.S. The youth leadership town hall will focus on civic engagement and will feature some of the student leaders who participated in the recent immigration mobilizations. NCLR will also be co-hosting a naturalization workshop with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), that will help put hundreds of Los Angelenos on the path to citizenship.

Other Conference workshops provide attendees with the opportunity to receive the latest information on key issues such as education, voting, homeownership, juvenile justice, immigration, economic and community development, children’s health, and nonprofit management. And for the first time, the Conference will include a Spanish-language track of workshops in partnership with the newspaper, La Opinion.

“The issues we are addressing at the Conference are reflective of the fact that Los Angeles is a microcosm of the challenges – and the opportunities – that face our community and our nation. But we are also glimpsing the future of our community and of this great nation here in California, and it is very bright,” continued Murguía.

“And that is why we are taking the opportunity at our Conference to showcase the wealth of Latino leadership in the state with participation by Mayor Villaraigosa, Supervisor Gloria Molina, labor leaders Maria Elena Durazo and Artie Rodriguez, and members of Congress including Hilda Solis,” noted Murguía.

Every year, NCLR concludes the Conference by honoring individuals and organizations for their contributions to, and work on behalf of, the Latino community at its Awards Gala. This year’s Gala honorees are Rudolfo Anaya, acclaimed Chicano writer, recipient of the Ruben Salazar Award for Communications; Dr. Walter Sava, Executive Director of Latino Arts, Inc., recipient of the Maclovio Barraza Award for Leadership; Vilma Martinez, Attorney and Partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, recipient of the Graciela Olivarez La Raza Award; and Arturo Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award for Sports Excellence.