F O R I MM E D I A T E R E L E A S E

Press Conference and Rally:

The Association of Raza Educators demands that the Hispanic Scholarship Fund end its unjust discrimination against undocumented students.

The Association of Raza Educators (ARE) is ramping up its national campaign with a protest outside Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) headquarters in San Francisco, demanding HSF stop discriminating against undocumented students. HSF has repeatedly emphasized that it “will not knowingly grant scholarships to individuals without legal status.”

There are an estimated 65,000 undocumented students who graduate from U.S. high schools each year. As a private organization, HSF is one of the few sources of financial aid undocumented students can turn to since they do not qualify for state or federal aid.

HSF gave out over $26 million in scholarships last year alone, with none of that financial support going to undocumented students.

Over twenty Community-Based Organizations are endorsing the effort, and over 2,000 people have signed the online petition, which can be found at: http://petitiononline.com/2college

Videos produced by ARE calling on HSF board members Cheech Marin and Maria Elena Salinas (whose father was undocumented) to change the policy can be found at: http://openHSF.com

Impacted AB540/undocumented Students will be available for interviews in Spanish and English

Thursday, November 20th, 2008. 5:00 P.M.



The central objectives will be:

1) To gain access to scholarships for undocumented students by demanding that HSF abolish its citizenship requirement on scholarships so that ALL Latinos may apply.

2) To expose the plight of undocumented students and the need for educational funding for these high-achieving students.

Contacts: Jose Lara, Association of Raza Educators,

razaeducators@aol.com

What: Press Conference/Rally to open Scholarships to Undocumented Students

Where: Hispanic Scholarship Fund- Headquarters

55 Second St.

San Francisco, CA 94105

When: Thursday, November 20th 2008. 5:00pm