Community Resources Announced at 86th Annual LULAC National Convention
July 7, 2015
Salt Lake City, Utah – Mayor Ralph Becker welcomed residents and visitors to the opening day of the 86th Annual LULAC National Convention, at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
“In the words of Cesar Chavez, ‘When you have people together who believe in something very strongly - whether it's religion or politics or unions - things happen.’ In the past 86 years, things have happened that many would never have dreamed possible,” said Mayor Becker. “Many of those advancements are thanks to LULAC, and they continue to advocate for advancing the well-being of minorities and immigrants in this great city, and everywhere.”
As the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization, prepared to receive 20,000 convention attendees, its leadership extolled the values of the contributions to the community that the organization, its sponsors, partners and supporters are bringing to pave the way to a brighter tomorrow for the nation’s largest minority segment, which now accounts for more than one quarter of Salt Lake residents.
“Latinos are no longer drawn to just the largest of the nation’s cities,” said Brent A. Wilkes, National Executive Director of LULAC. “Immigrants, and minorities in general, migrate to where they can find the best employment and educational opportunities, and many say that’s the state of Utah.”
More than one in five Salt Lake City residents speak a language other than English at home, and 15.5 percent of all Utah students are Latino.
As part of the festivities and LULAC’s commitment to sustainable communities, LULAC kicked off the convention announcing its partnerships supporting Utah’s workforce, technology and community nutrition.
LULAC and AT&T are committed to ensuring that the Latino community has access to dependable and useful technology. As part of this effort, five LULAC technology centers across the state are scheduled to be upgraded and are part of 60 such centers around the country. This year, AT&T has supported LULAC and provided updated equipment and curriculum for seven of their Empower Hispanic America with Technology centers across the U.S., including the one here in Salt Lake City.
In LULAC’s partnership with Tyson Foods in the nation’s fight against hunger, Tyson Foods, the nation’s second-largest food production company, donated an entire truckload of chicken to a local 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.
To respond to the need for employment opportunities, LULAC is offering a free Federal Training Institute workshop during the convention designed to help minorities tap into the many government jobs across the country.
Director of Federal Affairs for LULAC, Sara Clemente, “We bring these services and information to federal employees and also to individuals interested in pursuing a career in the federal government. This year we are proud to once again feature the Federal Training Institute Partnership in Washington D.C. which will be hosted and held at the National Institute of Health from September 22nd through the 23rd.”
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.