Janet Murguia, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, to Keynote San Antonio Hispanic Chamber's Annual Gala
The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SAHCC) has announced a keynote speaker for their annual Gala to be held on Jan. 25 at the J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country resort. This is the 85th year that this event has been held, as the SAHCC is the oldest Hispanic Chamber in the U.S.
This year the keynote speaker will be Janet Murguia, the President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).
The NCLR, according to its stated mission, is "the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States" and "works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans."
"Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations, NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia," its Web site reads. "To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas - assets/investments, civil rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health. In addition, it provides capacity-building assistance to its Affiliates who work at the state and local level to advance opportunities for individuals and families.
The NCLR was founded in 1968 and is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, DC," serving all Hispanic subgroups in all regions of the country."
It has state and regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, and San Antonio.
NCLR and its affiliates actively engage the U.S. political process on a series of issues that affect Hispanics as well as the economically disadvantaged and minority populations in general. Most recently NCLR has been engaged in a campaign to encourage the restoration of the Voting Rights Act, which was struck down last year. According to many observers, this led to an immediate influx of voting restriction laws throughout several U.S. states.
Murguia was announced as the keynote speaker in a press release from the SAHCC this week. The SAHCC is still accepting reservations and sponsorships for the event, and special room rates at the host hotel will be available until Jan. 22.
Her background is full of political work, and the NCLR Web site notes that she brings a wealth of insider's knowledge to her post as the head of the largest Hispanic advocacy organization in the country.
"She began her career in Washington, DC as legislative counsel to former Kansas Congressman Jim Slattery," NCLR states on its Web site. "She then worked at the White House from 1994 to 2000, ultimately serving as deputy assistant to President Clinton, providing strategic and legislative advice to the president on key issues.
"She served as deputy director of legislative affairs, managing the legislative staff and acting as a senior White House liaison to Congress. She then served as deputy campaign manager and director of constituency outreach for the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign.
"In 2001, Murguia joined the University of Kansas as executive vice chancellor for university relations, overseeing KU's internal and external relations with the public, including governmental and public affairs."
As two of the oldest organizations of their type, the SAHCC and the NCLR share a common bond as ground-breaking institutions of their type.
"The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is the first organization of its type in the United States, having been originally chartered as the Mexican Chamber of Commerce in 1929," the SAHCC Web site notes. "Today, there are about 35 Hispanic chambers of commerce in Texas and about 600 across the nation.
"The Mexican Chamber was organized by Don Enrique Santibanez, Consul General of Mexico in San Antonio, who became its first president. Given the deep historical and commercial ties and tensions between the U.S. and Mexico, the chamber's primary emphasis in its early years was to promote trade, policy and cultural harmony."
San Antonio is also often lauded as the city which most visibly reflects the Latin American influence in the State of Texas (among large cities). It is the home of the Alamo, the River Walk, and was the home of Spanish-speaking mass media in the U.S. It is also the home of Mayor Julian Castro and his Congressman brother Joaquin, both rising stars in the national Democratic Party.
(For more information on the 85th Annual Gala for the SAHCC click HERE.)