LULAC-- A Brief Introduction

     The League of United American Citizens (LULAC) is the oldest and largest Hispanic organization in the United States. We've been working since 1929 to assure our fellow Hispanic citizens a good education, a better job and the civil rights promised to every American.

HISTORY

•      When the United States annexed a third of Mexico's territory following the Mexican War, nearly 77,000 Mexicans became U.S. Citizens. These new citizens were systematically discriminated against, denied voting rights, excluded from decent jobs or a good education and subjected to unprovoked physical violence. The sign, "No Mexicans Allowed" was to be found everywhere.
•     Hispanic Americans responded by building a strong tradition of self-determination. Service organizations were started to champion Hispanic rights and in 1929, a number of these groups met in Corpus Christi, Texas and merged into a single self-help organization, the League of United Latin American Citizens. LULAC councils spread throughout Texas, and into 45 states across the country.
•      As LULAC grew , so did our achievements. LULAC-sponsored lawsuits resulted in landmark court decisions abolishing Hispanic school segregation and guaranteeing Hispanics the right to sit on juries. LULAC's "Little Schools of the 400" became the model for the enormously successful Headstart program. We have trained and found jobs for thousands of Hispanics, built housing for thousands more, provided 5 million in scholarship aid to Hispanic students, launched programs for youth, women, the elderly and the disabled and reached out in cooperative alliance with corporate America.
•     No other organization can match our over half century record of service to Hispanic Americans, but too much remains to be done to rest on our history. LULAC will continue to work with our fellow Hispanic citizens until the only place to find poverty, ignorance and discrimination is in the history books.

Sponsers: lori Carl