UnidosUS’ Janet Murguía Keynotes the Forum’s ‘Latinos on the Move’ Event
Janet Murguía, CEO and President of UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza) was keynote speaker at Latino Policy Forum’s “Latinos on the Move” policy breakfast fundraiser last month, which focused on impacting Latinos through civic engagement, leadership and building relationships among communities of color.
Murguía, a renowned civil rights leader, highlighted the Forum’s recognition as UnidosUS’ Midwest Affiliate of the Year in 2017 and spoke to the Forum’s mission of an informed and empowered Latino community. “The Forum has already defined the best of our organization (UnidiosUS) and is the backbone of service to our community and frontline to our work,” said Murguía.
In addition, the Forum’s Executive Director, Sylvia Puente, talked about the challenges the Latino community is facing with the new presidential administration. “Our civil rights are under attack,” Puente said. “There is a fear that surrounds the community because of the current administration.”
UnidosUS has almost 300 community-based organizations in its affiliate network – 21 in Chicago, including the Forum.
Murguía stated how advocacy and action is more important than ever. “With the burgeoning number of Latinos, we must make sure to leverage our growth into political influence and economic power. Only then will we make the true transformation for our community and our country,” she said.
CLICK to watch the video of CANTV’s coverage of “Latinos on the Move.”
Puente mentioned some of the steps the Forum is taking to tackle the most critical issues facing Latinos in Illinois, including its creation of Impacto Illinois – a civic engagement platform that provides advocacy resources and information for the community. Also highlighted was the Forum’s work on Illinois public school reform, the recommendations on English Learner’s that were adopted into Illinois’ Every Student Succeeds Act, efforts in advocating for the successful passage of the Illinois Trust Act, and the graduation of its first Multicultural Leadership Academy cohort.
The event – emceed by ABC 7’s Stacey Baca – also honored Chicago philanthropist King Harris for his many contributions to the Forum and Latinos overall. The honorary co-chairs for the event included U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Governor Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The Forum would like to thank all the sponsors who contributed and made this event a big success:
PNC Bank, Allstate, Chicago Tribune Foundation, The Crown Family, William M. Daley and Bernadette Keller, First American Bank, Northwestern Mutual, Bank of America, BMO Harris Bank, ComEd, Irving Harris Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., MB Financial Bank, The Ounce, Peoples Gas, Robert R. McCormick Foundation, John W. & Jeanne M. Rowe.
