FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON, KARL ROVE AMONG SPEAKERS AT UPCOMING NCLR ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN LOS ANGELES

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., announced today that former President Bill Clinton, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are among the confirmed speakers for the upcoming NCLR Annual Conference which will be held July 8-11 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA.

“We are deeply honored that President Clinton has accepted our invitation to address more than 2,000 community leaders from across the nation, and we are also excited by the wide array of speakers from the worlds of business, labor, government, nonprofits, and politics who will be joining us at this year’s Conference,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

The key speakers by day include:

Saturday, July 8

Kicking off the Conference, President Clinton will speak to Conference attendees at Café con Clinton, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina will speak at the National Affiliate Luncheon beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Following the luncheon is the Town Hall, Toward Immigration Reform and Beyond: Latinos and Labor Unions Working Together, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Panelists include John Wilhelm, President, UNITE HERE!; Eliseo Medina, International Executive Vice President, Service Employees International Union; Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor; Arturo Rodriguez, President, United Farm Workers of America; and Irasema Garza, Director of Women’s Rights, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO.

Sunday, July 9

A Town Hall on Sunday afternoon beginning at 3:30 p.m., Break the Silence without Fear: Protecting the Latino Family against HIV/AIDS, will feature Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA); Dr. Monica Alonso Gonzalez, Regional Advisor, Pan American Health Organization; Dr. Maria Rangel, Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Dr. Garth Graham, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, Office of Minority Health.

Monday, July 10

The featured speakers at the Monday Luncheon, beginning at 12:30 p.m., are Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS); Bob Iger, President and CEO, The Walt Disney Company; and Lynn Pike, President of Bank of America, California. Bank of America is the title sponsor of the NCLR Annual Conference.

Tuesday, July 11

Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO, will be the featured speakers at the Tuesday Luncheon beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Following the luncheon is Tuesday’s Town Hall, Leadership Across Communities: Opportunities and Challenges in the 21st Century, which will address issues such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the recent mobilization of immigrants and their supporters and their impact on relations between minority communities. Panelists include Antonia Hernandez, President, California Community Foundation; Stewart Kwoh, President and Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Legal Center; John Mack, President, Los Angeles Police Commission; Cesar Perales, President and General Counsel, Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF); and Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. The Town Hall will be moderated by award-winning talk show host Tavis Smiley.

Concluding the Conference will be the Awards Gala, which will feature remarks by the Conference awardees including Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas; community leader Dr. Walter Sava; Arturo Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; attorney and longtime activist Vilma Martinez; and former NCLR President Raul Yzaguirre.

To pre-register for media credentials or for more information about the NCLR Annual Conference – including workshops and Latino Expo USA, which are free and open to the public – visit www.nclr.org/conference.

Related