LULAC Launches “Freedom Walks For Justice” Across Eight States And 15 Cities; Thousands To March, Mobilize, & Register To Vote

Nation’s Oldest & Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Kicked Off Freedom Walks Across the Nation to Promote Civic Engagement, Elevate Issues Affecting the Latino Community, and Increase Voter Registration

Washington, DC - Today, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) launched its “Freedom Walks for Justice” campaign, which will take place across eight states and 15 cities to mobilize local Latino, and other minority communities, to register to vote. The campaign kicked off today at the U.S. Capitol where LULAC CEO Sindy Benavides was joined by several allies of the Latino community.

“Today, LULAC kicks off the Freedom Walks for Justice to both pay homage to the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights Movement and to mobilize diverse communities across the country facing the same acute threat: hate and injustice,” said Sindy Benavides, CEO of LULAC. “The most powerful tool we all have to combat systematic discrimination in public policy is the ballot box, and that is why the Freedom Walks will mobilize and register voters, ensuring our communities have a voice.”

The “Freedom Walks” will begin today, October 3rd and ends on November 3rd in Washington, D.C. with stops in the following cities:

• Washington, DC (10/3)
• Brownsville, Texas (10/15)
• Corpus Christi, Texas (10/15)
• San Antonio, Texas (10/16)
• Austin, Texas (10/17)
• Dallas, Texas (10/18)
• Houston, Texas (10/20)
• New Orleans, Louisiana (10/22)
• Jackson, Mississippi (10/23)
• Birmingham, Alabama (10/24)
• Montgomery, Alabama (10/24)
• Atlanta, Georgia (10/25)
• Orlando, Florida (10/26)
• Charlotte, North Carolina (11/1)
• Charlottesville, Virginia (11/2)
• Washington, DC (11/3)

LULAC was honored to have civil rights leader Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), who was a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the 1960s, at the Freedom Walks inauguration.

“There is no more fundamental right than the right to vote,” Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said. “I am pleased to host and congratulate LULAC for their work on this ambitious campaign and urge all to make their voice heard in our elections, especially in the upcoming presidential election year,”

LULAC ally in the fight against hate and discrimination, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), was also present, lending support and partnership.

“As one of the leading organizations fighting against hate in all forms, ADL is proud to join as a partner of LULAC’s Freedom Walks for Justice. In these perilous times, when violent hate crimes against Jews, LGBTQ individuals, Latinx and other minorities are dramatically on the rise, we need powerful allies at every level of society to help us in this fight. Freedom Walks will enable us to stand together and stand strong with many communities in the fight against bias, discrimination and hate,” said ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan A. Greenblatt.

LULAC was also honored to have Tierra Stewart, an Ignite National Fellows Director, as one of the first National Walkers. The National Walkers are community leaders who will be marching in all 15 cities across the United States.

“I join this movement because the ascendant of a slave cried freedom when the weather report suggested a different climate. I join this movement because my decedents marched for their civil rights standing even when the dog's bark was equally as big as their bite. I join this movement because someone decided to get involved with the process in hopes that it will liberate me. Change happens when the people come together in solidarity. And I see change crying out from over the mountain,” said Tierra Stewart Ignite National Fellows Director.

At each stop, LULAC members will walk as a group for one mile in solidarity with one message: We walk, Mobilize, and Vote. At each of the 15 cities in 8 states, LULAC will have resources available to assist community members with voter registration specific to their jurisdiction.

For additional information on the Freedom Walks for Justice please visit: www.freedomwalks.org

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/

About Freedom Walks for Justice
The Freedom Walks for Justice is a national campaign being led by LULAC. Following the example by the Freedom Riders, LULAC is organizing local and national leaders to walk in unity across 15 different cities in eight states across the U.S. from October 15 - November 3, 2019. The Freedom Walks will include: a one-mile march, a community gathering at the end point, and community resources to inform all participants and serve as a hub for civic engagement, including voter registration. The first walks will start on the U.S.-Mexico border city of Brownsville, Texas, and Corpus Christi, Texas, LULAC’s birthplace in 1929, and end in Washington, D.C. on November 3, 2019-- one year out of Election Day 2020.