Monday, June 7, 2010 – Dallas, Texas: This past weekend LULAC 4871 – The Dallas Rainbow Council won “Texas LULAC Council of the Year” at the 2010 Texas LULAC State Convention held in Austin on June 2-6. The council also picked up its very first statewide “Man of the Year” honor, which was awarded to Ramiro Luna. Luna was also elected to a statewide officer position: Deputy Director for Young Adults.
“We are very honored and happy to have received these recognitions,” said Jesse Garcia, cofounder and president of LULAC 4871, which previously won the council of the year award in 2008. “We are a very young council, but we are also a hard-working council. The 75 members who have worked year-round on community service projects and activism saw their efforts rewarded by longtime-leaders from across the state. We are humbled and motivated to do even more.”
Awards were presented at the Texas LULAC Convention Banquet held June 5, with featured keynote speeches by former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros and current Mayor of San Antonio Julian Castro. The election for statewide positions took place at the general assembly on June 6 at the Austin Hilton Airport Hotel.
Along with Garcia and Luna, LULAC 4871 members Zhyla Alvarado, Brenda Correa, Ray De Los Santos, Patrick McCoy, Liliana Robledo, Chelle Simmons and Jesse Tafalla, Jr., attended the annual convention which focused on civil rights, education and business opportunities.
LULAC 4871 received the “Council of the Year” honor for its work in helping rename a downtown street after civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, for helping Southwest Voter Registration Education Project register more than 1,200 voters in Dallas County, for conducting forums on Comprehensive Immigration Reform across North Texas, and for assisting the Census Bureau in reaching out to hard-to-count populations.
Luna received “Man of the Year” for his work on promoting the DREAM Act. He has traveled all over the nation to educate others about the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (“DREAM Act”), a piece of proposed federal legislation that would provide certain undocumented students who graduate from U.S. high schools, who are of good moral character, that arrived in the U.S. as minors, and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency.
Luna was also elected by acclamation by 341 delegates in the general assembly to serve as Deputy Director for Young Adults. He will oversee the direction of LULAC Councils in colleges and universities throughout Texas.
“Ramiro is a great ally who joined our council recently and is proud to be affiliated with the LULAC Rainbow Council mission,” said Garcia. “We’re very proud of this young man who is part of a new generation of Latinos who see full equality for their LGBT brothers and sisters as a civil right.”
Luna also received a Presidential Citation – the highest honor in the League awarded by the National President. National LULAC President Rosa Rosales commended Luna for his work in galvanizing the youth in LULAC to take a more active role in demanding immigration reform.
The Dallas Rainbow Council is also pleased with the recent news that President Rosales has accepted the invitation to be the Grand Marshal of the San Antonio Gay Pride Parade being held in her hometown on Saturday, July 3. Parade officials have also extended an invitation for the Dallas LULAC Rainbow Council to be special guests as well.
LULAC 4871 will celebrate this month’s victories at its new event – PRIDE Fiesta! – being held on Sunday, June 20, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Kaliente Night Club, located at 4350 Maple Avenue, Dallas, TX 75219. Performances, prize drawings and festivities, along with great Latin music, will be provided for guests. Proceeds collected that night will benefit LULAC 4871′s council, its scholastic fund and its LifeWalk Team. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/l/a5425;www.lulac4871.org.
LULAC 4871 – The Dallas Rainbow Council was founded on June 12, 2006, by the Oak Lawn Community in Dallas. The mission of LULAC – the largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights organization – is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States. LULAC 4871 also strives to create dialogue between the Hispanic and LGBT community which have a common goal: full equality. LULAC 4871 now meets every third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m., at Havana’s, located at 4006 Cedar Springs Rd., Dallas, TX 75219. New members are welcome. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/l/a5425;www.lulac4871.org.
Upcoming June Events:
Human Rights Campaign Federal Club Speaker: Jesse Garcia, president of LULAC 4871 – The Dallas Rainbow Council, will be a guest speaker at the Human Rights Campaign Federal Club Luncheon Saturday, June 12. Event begins at 11:15 a.m. and is being held at the Union Station, located at 400 S. Houston St., Dallas, TX 75202. He will be joined by Hispanic leaders: Immediate Past National LULAC Director Hector Flores, State Representative Roberto Alonzo, Dallas City Councilwoman Delia Jasso and Dallas County Criminal Court No. 10 Judge Roberto Cañas. For more information: http://www.facebook.com/l/a5425;www.dfwfederalclub.org/Events.aspx?posting=147e9519-31a0-45fc-b521-4c0616504fe3
On Air in Houston: Jesse Garcia, president of LULAC 4871 – The Dallas Rainbow Council, will be interviewed on QueerVoices Radio in Houston’s KPFT Monday, June 14, 9 to 11 p.m. on the success of Hispanic-LGBT relations, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the DREAM Act and Uniting American Families Act. For more information: visit http://www.facebook.com/l/a5425;www.queervoices.org.
Monthly Meeting: LULAC 4871 – The Dallas Rainbow Council will meet for its regularly monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 16, at 6:30 p.m., at Havana’s, located at 4006 Cedar Springs Rd., Dallas, TX 75219. Special guests include LGBT Latino Legends Jesus Chairez and former Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro-Tem John Loza, plus this year’s scholarship recipient – Irma Rangel High School May 2010 Graduate Selina Weber! Event is open to the public. For more information: http://www.facebook.com/l/a5425;www.lulac4871.org.
Immigration Town Hall: LULAC 4871 – The Dallas Rainbow Council has been invited to present at the Equality March Texas’ Crosspoints Community Education Forum on the subject of Immigration. Forum takes place Thursday, June 17, at 7 p.m., at the Resource Center Dallas, located at 2701 Reagan St., Dallas, TX 75219. Refreshments will be provided. Event is open to the public.
PRIDE Fiesta!: LULAC 4871 – The Dallas Rainbow Council will host its annual fundraiser Sunday, June 20, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Kaliente Night Club, located at 4350 Maple Avenue, Dallas, TX 75219. Performances, prize drawings and festivities, along with great Latin music, will be provided for guests. Proceeds collected that night will benefit LULAC 4871′s council, its scholastic fund and the LifeWalk Team. To sponsor, email jessegarciadallas@gmail.com. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/l/a5425;www.lulac4871.org.
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