LULAC ANALYSIS: OMAHA CITY COUNCIL USED THREE ROUNDS OF VOTES IN ANYTHING-BUT-LATINO MOVE TO KNOCK OUT FIVE QUALIFIED HISPANICS
Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Reveals the Final Council Choice Joined LULAC Online As Associate Member on September 14 --- 48-Hours After Being Selected
September 19, 2023
For more information, contact David Cruz at (818) 689-9991
davidcruz@lulac.org
Washington, DC — LULAC, the leading Latino advocacy group in America, received an online $20 associate membership form from Omaha, Nebraska. It was from Ron Hug, the newly appointed representative for the city council's 4th District, home to the largest Latino population in Omaha. Yet, in the process, three homegrown Latino candidates plus another two experienced Hispanic public servants were passed up in what can only be construed as an anything-but-Latino action.
Elsa Ramon Aranda – LULAC Nebraska Council President
"The arrogance of this city council and the individual they anointed goes beyond the pale. They had to deliberately and, with malice of forethought, go out of their way to exclude our community's leaders. The candidates they colluded and calculated to cut out include proven, dedicated men and women who grew up in Southeast Omaha, went to school, graduated from that area, and are part of the fabric of our community. We are proud of them and have the right to demand that we get a voice on the city council!
To add insult to injury, the audacity of the individual they handpicked is unbelievable because mere hours later, he tries to pass himself off as a friend of our community by buying an associate membership in LULAC for twenty bucks as if to say, ‘See, now I'm one of you!’ Plus, he condescendingly states publicly that some of his family members are Latino as if that legitimizes his part in the slap in the face to 73,000 Hispanic residents in our community. You don’t have to be Latino to join LULAC, but you do have to respect us.
Omaha City Council and local business leaders must wake up to the reality that you can't buy our acceptance or trust. We are taxpayers and have the right to represent ourselves. We don't need someone like Mr. Hug to come in to save us, as if we cannot determine our own future. Then, to rush to find cover by joining LULAC, a respected civic organization in our community, is a mockery. I strenuously object to his membership under these circumstances.
Latinos are a $2 trillion economic powerhouse, among the fastest growing student enrollment demographics in colleges and universities, as well as in small business start-ups, and more than a quarter of the nation's homebuyers. In some regions, we purchase half of all the new cars sold. We are lawyers, doctors and nurses, engineers, teachers, police and firefighters, soldiers, entrepreneurs, and even astronauts!
Bottom line, ¡OYEME OMAHA! Hear Me Omaha! We have been here hundreds or thousands of years, and we're not leaving, so get used to it."
About LULAC
"LULAC calls upon all Latinos across the country and Puerto Rico to rise up, register, mobilize, and vote," says Garcia. "The battle for voting rights is far from over, but with determination, unity, and the strength of the law on our side, we will prevail. Together, we can ensure that every voice is heard, and every vote counts as we approach the critical 2024 election. LULAC stands at the forefront of this fight, ready to defend the rights of Latino voters across the nation, and this historic Arizona ruling is just the beginning,' he adds.
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