LULAC Leaders United In Call To Stop Attacks On Ocasio-Cortez

Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says Threats of Violence Against Latinas Are Unacceptable

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Leaders with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) on Tuesday issued a joint statement in support of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez D-NY who revealed on Instagram the toll that verbal and sexual assaults have taken on her personal life. In recent days her postings have also recounted what she experienced during the attack on Capitol Hill January 6, 2021 and other acts of violence she has endured. The response from several LULAC leaders follows:

Elsie Valdes-Ramos, National Vice-President for Women, the highest elected female advocate for women in the League of United Latin American Citizens.
“It is disgraceful and indefensible for elected officials who are women to be forced to this level of gender discrimination and personal hatred by their peers in Congress, political extremists or anyone else who disagrees with them. The women of LULAC join with millions more women across the United States and Puerto Rico denouncing this type of mistreatment and call for a stop to the attacks that have become all too frequent and even accepted as normal by some. Neither Representative Ocasio-Cortez nor any other woman in our nation should be subjected to this dangerous and violent abuse.”

Ralina Cardona, LULAC National Board Member and Vice-President for the Northeast United States
“Representative Ocasio-Cortez lives in the region of the country I represent. She is being singled out by those who are targeting women in power, especially women of color. Latinas like us in elected office are few and far between; less still at the level of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Misogyny is alive and well, even in politics and sadly, AOC had lived with a target on her back ever since she decided to speak out on behalf of her community. Fortunately, this Administration is normalizing women in power and as Latinos we understand and respect the power of women, in our communities and in our families. LULAC will not allow women to be abused and instead, we can disagree without being disagreeable.”

Rodolfo Rosales Jr., Texas LULAC State Director
“I am the first openly gay man ever elected to serve as State Director in LULAC and Representative Ocasio-Cortez has my full support and vote of confidence for standing up against the brazen, violent attacks against her. This is not a matter of being a Democrat or a Republican. Rather, we must speak out because she and other leaders who are women are under siege. Their lives are threatened because some people just can’t accept that vision and genius are about the mind, not one’s gender. We can and must stand together to stop ignorant, hateful and dangerous behavior that put the lives of others at risk.”

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/