November 11, 2008
Hispanic leaders endorse Richardson for Secretary of State
The Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities was among the organizations who recommended that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson be the next Secretary of State. The recommendation was sent in a letter to President-elect Obama on behalf of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA).
NHLA was established in 1991 as a nonpartisan association composed of 26 leading national and regional Hispanic civil rights and public policy organizations, elected officials, and distinguished Latino leaders from all over the nation.
“No one is more qualified to serve as our country’s chief diplomat than Governor Bill Richardson. He has helped free hostages in North Korea, Iraq, Sudan, and Cuba, secured an agreement protecting refugees in Afghanistan, negotiated a peaceful transfer of power in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and brokered a cease-fire in the troubled region of Darfur. He is not just a Democratic Party leader or an Hispanic community leader, he is an American leader,” stated John Trasviña, Chair of the NHLA and President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
“By all accounts, Latinos were a key part of President-elect Obama’s historic victory. Now, Latinos have the talent and expertise to have a major role in governing, at the Cabinet level and throughout the federal agencies," concluded Trasviña explained. “NHLA will focus upon encouraging and preparing Latinos to serve in the new Administration.”
National Hispanic Leadership Agenda Member Organizations:
- Alianza Dominicana
- American GI Forum
- ASPIRA Association, Inc.
- Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans
- Cuban American National Council
- Dominican American National Roundtable
- Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU)
- Hispanic Federation
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- Interamerican College of Physicians & Surgeons
- Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
- League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
- MANA, A National Latina Organization
- Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF)
- National Association for Bilingual Education
- National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives
- National Association of Hispanic Publications
- National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)
- National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc.
- National Council of La Raza
- National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
- National Hispanic Corporate Council
- National Hispanic Council on Aging
- National Hispanic Environmental Council
- National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts
- National Hispanic Media Coalition
- National Hispanic Medical Association
- National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc.
- National Puerto Rican Forum
- Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Education Fund
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
- Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project
- United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
- U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI)