Moving Our Community and Our Nation Forward: The Moment is Now

This is an important and exciting time for the Latino community, now the largest minority in the United States. Interest in our community has never been higher, and the opportunity has never been greater for Latinos to achieve political and economic empowerment — and this is not just because the future of our community rests upon achieving these objectives but because the future of America rests on the strengths and successes of the Hispanic community.

My personal mission, and the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) mission as an organization, is to make the American Dream a reality for all Americans and for every Hispanic family.

I know a little bit about the power of the American Dream from my own personal experience.

My parents, Alfredo and Amalia, came to this country more than 50 years ago with no money and barely a grade-school education. But they worked hard and believed deeply in the promise of this country, especially for me and my six brothers and sisters. The values they instilled in us — family, faith, community, hard work, love of country, and sacrifice — helped us achieve that American Dream. My brother Ramon graduated from Harvard Law School. My brother Carlos and my twin sister Mary are the first brother and sister in history to serve together as judges on the federal bench. And I feel blessed that my parents were able to see me at work in the West Wing of the White House. I know firsthand that the American Dream is real.

To fulfill this mission of bringing the American Dream to everyone who is willing to work hard, play by the rules, and commit him or herself to this nation, the Hispanic community must be at the table when decisions are being made.

We need to challenge everyone — the Bush administration, Congress, and both political parties — to help us promote equal opportunity and to invest wisely. With so much at stake for our community, we don't intend to stay on the sidelines. We will reach out to the White House and President Bush, to both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, and to the friends and even the adversaries of the Latino community.

And while we will continue to hold those in positions of power and authority accountable for their policies and their actions, we also pledge to hold ourselves equally accountable.
One way we will do that is by doing a better job of telling our story so that we can do a more effective job of telling our community's story. It is astonishing to me, for instance, that some people can say we are a "threat" to this nation, that we are resisting the integration of Latinos into American society.

The reality is that throughout our history, NCLR has supported our affiliates in helping Hispanics enter the mainstream. Virtually every one of our multiservice affiliates provide English-language classes, civics courses or naturalization assistance. And they can't keep up with the demand.

We want to tell our fellow Americans about how this country would not be the nation it is today without two centuries' worth of contributions from millions of Latinos to our economy, to our culture and to our society, in peace and in war. And we need to let everyone know that America's most cherished values — family, a strong work ethic, sacrifice, faith and patriotism — are the same ones that my family, and millions of other Hispanic families, have passed down from generation to generation.

This year marks a new era for our organization, and we recognize that together we can accomplish what we could never do alone. This is an amazing time. We are at the dawn of a new century and a new millennium. It is an historic time for our organization, for our community and for this nation. I truly believe that we have a unique opportunity to write a special chapter in history.

My hope is that history will record that we as a community stepped up, that we reached out, that we built the coalitions, the bridges and the partnerships that allowed us to move not only our community but an entire nation forward.
We have that opportunity — and this is our moment.
 

By Janet Murguia

[This article has been edited for www.latinastyle.com. For the full version, check out the March/April issue of LATINA Style.]

Comments - Suggestions - Questions about this article please send us your feedback