Linked with National Council of La Raza NCLR.
Raul Humberto Yzaguirre (his name has sometimes been spelled Izaguirre / born July 22, 1939 in San Juan, Texas) is an American civil rights activist. Currently a life time member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he previously served as the president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza from 1974 – 2004; and now works primarily as an advocate for the creation of a political union between the United States, Mexico and Canada through a variety of non-profit advocacy groups. He was born to Mexican American parents Ruben Antonio and Eva Linda (Morin) Yzaguirre, and grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Yzaguirre states that some of his first memories of social injustice involved what his grandmother called a ‘Race War’ in Texas. Mexican Americans lived under a curfew at that time and Yzaguirre’s grandfather was almost lynched one night when coming home after dark from his second job. In 1958 he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force Medical Service and served for 4 years … (full text).
He is Task Force Member of CFR … (and: scroll down) currently he serves as the Presidential Professor of Practice at Arizona State University (Community Development and Civil Rights). Mr. Yzaguirre, who recently retired as President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) in Washington, DC (1974-2005), spearheaded the council’s emergence as the largest constituency-based national Hispanic organization and think tank in the United States.
Lubbock rally urges Hispanic vote in crucial’ election year, (full text, February 22, 2008).
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Raul Humberto Yzaguirre – USA
Yzaguirre is well-known in some circles for a controversal statement in the 1990s, when he said, « US English is to Hispanics as the Ku Klux Klan is to blacks ».
… Then following the special presentation by Yzaguirre, rally participants will be encouraged to early vote at the County Voter Registration Office, located at the Lubbock County elections office 1308 Crickets Ave. LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic Organization in the United States, and advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide. The organization involves and serves all Hispanic nationality groups. (full text).
… Raul Yzaguirre, now a national co-chairman of the Clinton campaign, first met the candidate at a training session in San Antonio in 1972. “She was very into the intricacies of voter registration and the politics and mechanics of the process”, Mr. Yzaguirre said … (full text, March 2, 2008).
Yzaguirre to strengthen ASU’s national position in community development and civil rights.
As he steps down from the NCLR leadership, Yzaguirre leaves a legacy of extensive service to the Latino community. His influence, presence and efforts will continue to have an impact in the Latino community at large. He was the first Latino honored with the Rockefeller Award for excellence in public service, served on the Commission on Latino Education for the Clinton administration, and been the first Hispanic on the Executive Committee for the Conference on Leadership and Civil Rights, among others … (full text).
He says: » … I remember my grandmother talking about something called the « race war » and I knew that there had been killings of a lot of our folks. I remember my grandmother telling me about mothers who would confront the Texas Rangers and beat their hands on the men’s chests and say « What have you done with my son? » « Why did you kill him? » I remember her telling me about my grandfather who was almost lynched by the Texas Rangers for the crime of being on the streets after dark because he had two jobs and he didn’t come home before dark on his second job. There was a curfew for Mexican-Americans in Texas. When I was seven or eight years old, I went to a political meeting to try to organize the defeat of the Anglo constable, and the Anglo constable came in and beat up all the folks and broke up the meeting. Lots of these kinds of things happened time and time again » … (full interview text).
Photos: Inauguration Photos on NCLR, on Oral History Project view images.
Find him and his publications on ; on spock.com; on Google Video-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.
links:
ADIÓS: HILLARY’S TOP LATINA SIDELINED … ;
MOST DEFINING POLITICAL MOMENT OF 2007;
Farmworkers Justice, 2006 annual report, 22 pages.