Janet Murguía

Last week, the Census Bureau released updated population numbers affirming once again that Latinos are America's largest and fastest-growing minority. There are now 52 million of us residing in the U.S.--nearly one in five Americans. Perhaps the most striking statistic is that more than half of...

The death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager who was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch member in a gated community outside Orlando, FL, remains an unresolved and disturbing incident. The lack of action from the police--despite mounting evidence that the findings of their initial and unconscionably cursory...

Marta Sanchez is 30 years old with three small children and works two other jobs outside the home. She often runs to the store in between jobs to buy groceries. She knows how important it is for her and her kids to eat right, but with her very hectic schedule,...

Earlier today, NCLR joined a coalition of civil rights and labor groups, including the NAACP, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Service Employees International Union, Southern Poverty Law Center, and UAW--one of the nation's largest labor unions--to call on Alabama's business leaders to meet with the civil rights and...

This is a joint blog post with Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League

Yesterday, state Attorneys General (AG) announced that they arrived at a $25 billion agreement with mortgage servicers in response to the "robosigning" scandal that broke 18 months ago. When New...

The news last month was dominated by AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. The proposed merger generated considerable debate within the civil rights and progressive communities, with some organizations, including many labor unions, strongly in favor and others, principally consumer advocates, deeply opposed. While NCLR did not take a position on...

Last Saturday it was my privilege to speak to the thousands of participants at the "One Family, One Alabama: HB 56 Hurts All Alabamians" rally held on the steps of the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. The rallygoers were a rich mosaic of Alabamians from all walks of life representing...

It is difficult to find the right words to express National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) outrage at U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Blackburn's decision to let stand the most egregious provisions of HB 56, Alabama's harsh and draconian version of Arizona's infamous anti-immigrant and anti-Latino law. It...

Last Thursday, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced a series of five bills to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Sadly, these bills are replicas of the same rhetoric and philosophy introduced by their colleagues in the...

This week marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is proud to help kick off our community's celebration with the NCLR ALMA Awards® airing tonight at 8:00 p.m. on NBC.

Tonight's show is not just another awards show; it is recognition...

By Janet Murguía, President & CEO, NCLR, Marc Morial, President, National Urban League, and Lisa Hasegawa, Executive Director, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development

In this era of budget slashing, some cuts just don't make sense, particularly when they push families further away from achieving the American Dream...

America has always been a nation that prides itself on rising above adversity and beating the odds. But this Labor Day, more than two years since the end of the most punishing recession since the Great Depression, American families hoping to stay in the middle class are facing long odds.

When the results of the 2010 Census were revealed earlier this year, they turned what was critically important for the Latino community into something urgent. The gap between the demographic power of Latinos -- 50 million Americans and counting -- and our political power has never been larger....

Latino families, like millions of others across the United States, do their best to put nutritious food on their tables every day, but the healthiest foods are too often unaffordable or inaccessible -- and the current economic climate has only added to family budgetary challenges. Many Americans struggle to buy...

On Tuesday night, millions of Latino baseball fans will watch with pride as players with names like Gonzalez, Ortiz, and Reyes take the field at the 82nd Annual All-Star Game. But as the camera pans across Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, it will also be a painful reminder that when...

Homeownership is the cornerstone of the American Dream, and like all Americans, Latinos work toward that dream and a stable financial future. In recent years, however, problems in the housing market have made the dream impossible for many Latino families. In today's tough economic and political climate, some politicians blame...

Last year, Arizona set off a national firestorm when it passed SB 1070, legislation widely seen as unconstitutional and condemned for legitimizing racial profiling. The brand of politics that led to this law pushes all the buttons of a public legitimately frustrated with federal inaction on immigration. Sadly, it delivers...

Kansas State Representative Virgil Peck might think he was being funny Monday, but to Hispanics everywhere his comments are no joke.

According to Tuesday's Lawrence World Journal, Peck told his state's House Appropriations Committee, "It might be a good idea to control illegal immigration the way the feral...

President Obama's State of the Union address was a direct challenge to lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle to work together toward a more prosperous and globally competitive America. The president called for investments in innovation, education, and infrastructure to jump-start economic growth. He also pledged to get...

Today, a cross-section of distinguished Latino leaders from across the political spectrum, as well as in business, government, public service, entertainment, and sports, sent a letter (below) to the leadership of the U.S. Senate urging them to pass the "DREAM Act," legislation that would allow undocumented youth who have grown...