by Soraya Schwanz and Grazia Salvemini
Gabriela Lemus
A series of Hispanic public policy proposals, packed into a quadrennial report endorsed by the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, were released by the coalition Aug. 21 in Washington D.C. The NHLA is made up of 26 leading Hispanic national and regional organizations.
It submitted detailed recommendations on education, civil rights, immigration, economic empowerment, health, end government accountability as its guide to both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates for addressing the 2008 Hispanic electorate responsively.
The document’s education highlights include early childhood, secondary and higher education. The off-proposed Dream Act, which would provide promising undocumented students access to higher education, is strongly supported. Civil rights actions are proferred to curb hate crimes and hate speech in the media. Attention is called to measures in employment discrimination and worker employment protection. Decreasing racial profiling in the criminal justice system is also addressed.
The immigration agenda strongly advocates enacting comprehensive reform and suggests ways to go about It. The report opposes employment verification systems that fail to meet set accuracy rates, as well as immigration enforcement raids which compromise public health and safety.
The United States should strengthen ties with other countries, extend job training and education programs to increase worker capacity as part of economic empowerment.
The recommendations were introduced by NHLA chairman John Trasviña, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and articulated in detail at an hour-long news conference by representatives of participating organizations at the National Press Club.
John Trasviña
No one from the campaigns of either Barack Obama or John McCain attended, nor were they directly invited, Trasviña said in response to a Hispanic Link reporter’s question. The campaigns, Congress members and other appropriate parties would receive copies of the report, which would be also shared at the Democratic and Republican conventions, he explained.
“It is important for the NHLA to release the Hispanic platform at: both conventions,” said Gabriela Lemus, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement executive director, “to ensure that the presidential candidates and our lawmakers take into account the very critical needs of the Latino community.’,
The NHLA has produced similar agendas every four years since it was created in 1991. Its policy recommendations reflect a consensus from which candidates are asked to respond to Latino concerns and needs. Trasviña described it as the group’s “2020 vision.”
To view the complete 2008 Hispanic report and NHLA proposals go to www.maldef.org/puf/NHLA.2008.Hispanic.Policy.Agenda.pdf.
