87TH ANNUAL LULAC NATIONAL CONVENTION AND EXPOSITION UNVEILS VOTER REGISTRATION TOOLS FOR LATINOS
July 12, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mayor Muriel Bowser welcomed residents and visitors to the opening day of the 87th Annual LULAC National Convention at the Washington Hilton.
“Washington, DC is proud to be the host city for the 87th Annual LULAC National Convention,” said Mayor Bowser. “The District of Columbia is stronger because of the diversity of our community – including a growing Latino population. It is this diversity that makes Washington, DC so vibrant, dynamic, and such a great place to live, play and work. I thank LULAC for their commitment to advancing and improving the lives of Latino Americans.”
The LULAC Convention is the oldest and largest gathering of Latino leaders in the nation and packs more energy and excitement than any other event in the Latino community. This year, LULAC is hosting the annual convention in our nation’s capital where the demographics reflect an ethnically diverse population. In the District of Columbia, the nation’s largest minority segment has seen steady increases. During the 1980s, 17,777 Latinos resided here. Today, there are more than 52,000 Latinos living in the District of Columbia.
“Following our tradition of fostering civic participation, LULAC is making an effort to provide community resources to the District of Columbia’s Latino community,” said LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr. “Through our longstanding corporate partnerships, our Federal Training Institute and other programs, we will be able to help the community in a variety of ways.”
LULAC has a long standing partnership with Tyson Foods. In the nation’s fight against hunger, Tyson Foods, one of the world's largest food companies, and LULAC today donated an entire truckload of protein to the Capital Area Food Bank. LULAC and Tyson Foods have jointly donated more than 1 million pounds of protein to food banks across the country and Puerto Rico since 2009. Today’s donation will help 700,000 children, adults and seniors in the Washington area who struggle to get food on the table.
“The Capital Area Food Bank serves 540,000 people throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia each year,” said Nora Venegas, director of federal government relations for Tyson Foods. “Food insecurity affects all age groups, ethnicities and communities. Tyson Foods and LULAC are committed to providing protein to those in need and raising awareness about how important protein is in a diet.”
“Through this generous donation of meat, Tyson and LULAC are joining us in fueling community wellness by getting protein to the neighbors we serve,” said Nancy E. Roman, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank.
“It’s a testament to the power of the Latino vote to have the presumptive democratic presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, and other leading government officials, address the largest gathering of Latino leaders and advocates,” said LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. “At this convention, LULAC has made critical resources available in order to ensure that the Latino community registers and votes on election day.”
This year, LULAC, thanks to the generous support from Verizon, will be unveiling the Oportunidad app which will bring critical civil rights resources to mobile devices across the country. Users will gain access to important civil rights information including immigration issues, civic engagement, and economic empowerment from their mobile device or tablet. In addition, users will be able to register to vote, access budgeting information and fraud protection resources, learn how to enroll in health insurance, and locate local immigration services via the app’s ‘Find Help’ feature.
“Another voter registration initiative is the partnership with LULAC and Pollo Campero in which the restaurant chain is helping conduct non-partisan voter registration drives throughout the area,” said Federico Paris, Area Manager for Maryland, Virginia and DC for Corporate Pollo Campero. “On Saturdays, beginning in August from 11:00 am to 7:00 p.m. at Pollo Campero locations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, LULAC volunteers will be ready to answer questions, provide information and help the Latino community register to vote—it is Pollo Campero’s commitment to civic education.”
To respond to the need for employment opportunities, LULAC is offering a free Federation Training Institute workshop during the convention designed to help minorities tap into the many government jobs across the country.
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 www.LULAC.org.
About the Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition, heart disease and obesity. By partnering with nearly 450 community organizations in DC, Maryland and Virginia, as well as delivering food directly into hard to reach areas, the CAFB is helping 540,000 people each year get access to good, healthy food. That’s 12 percent of our region’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandparents. To learn more, visit: capitalareafoodbank.org, or find the Capital Area Food Bank on Facebook at facebook.com/CapitalAreaFoodBank, and Twitter at @foodbankmetrodc.
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the world's largest food companies with leading brands such as Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Sara Lee®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells® and State Fair®. It’s a recognized market leader in chicken, beef and pork as well as prepared foods, including bacon, breakfast sausage, turkey, lunchmeat, hot dogs, pizza crusts and toppings, tortillas and desserts. The company supplies retail and foodservice customers throughout the United States and approximately 130 countries. Tyson Foods was founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to lead the business with his son, Don Tyson, guiding the company for many years and grandson, John H. Tyson, serving as the current chairman of the board of directors. The company currently has approximately 113,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.