La Raza

“There was no Mexican American organization equivalent of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) or the National Urban League; no Mexican American colleges; and virtually no financial or other help from outside the community itself. It has thus been extremely difficult for the leadership to develop and pursue strategies which would force public agencies and institutions to pay greater and more intelligent attention to Mexican American needs and to make changes, where necessary, to meet them.”

Description

The National Council of La Raza

Its original phrase was referred to as the cosmic people. It’s foundation as a political movement is to increase the increase of equality, similarly found in the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, inclusive of immigrant and worker’s rights. The organization The National Council of La Raza, which is non-profit and non partisan, was founded in 1968 in Washington, DC. In light of the civil rights movement, there was no movements for the improvement of life for Mexican Americans.

As a result of increasing concern, a few Mexican Americans joined together to create NOMAS, or National Organization for Mexican American Services. This group convinced the Ford Fund to fund an investigation of the lives of Mexican Americans. Three well respected Mexican Americans (Julian Samora, Herman Gallegos, and Ernesto Galarza) were chosen to go to the Southwest portion of the United States to gather information. With the results found by these consultants, it was seen that Mexicans suffered in terms of poverty and many other aspects of life. They also emphasized the necessity of creating more “localized” organizations to assist the local groups in fighting for equality. In February 1968, the Southwest Council of La Raza was established to help out local advocacy groups. Four years later, the SWLCR changed into the National Council of La Raza.

Issues of La Raza

La Raza Unida Party

NCLR History