A hero in the Chicano, Mexican American, and Latino civil rights movement, Raul Yzaguirre has been chosen by President Obama to serve as Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. He is definitely a gutsy guy, but well-respected.
He was fired as Chair of the Hispanic Advisory Commission to the Immigration and Naturalization Service for publicly criticizing President Carter’s immigration reform proposals. Yzaguirre also criticized President George H.W. Bush for his affirmative action stance even after he had agreed to be the first sitting president to appear at an NCLR Annual Conference. President Clinton did not escape criticism either. Yzaguirre criticized President Clinton for appointing very few Hispanics to key positions and for the 1996 welfare reform law which NCLR considered detrimental to the Hispanic community and resigned as Chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans in protest of political machinations.[7] [8]
Yzaguirre founded the Southwest Council of La Raza, which became the National Council of La Raza, an issues advocacy organization which has become the largest in the nation.
NCLR provided this:
“Raul Yzaguirre has dedicated his life to public service and the quest for equality. His legacy has inspired generations of Hispanics to use our collective voice to advocate for positive change,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “While primarily known for his work on domestic policy, Raul has always recognized the interdependence among nations and peoples across the globe. I am confident that, given his deep love for this country and record of service, he will be a strong and effective representative of this great nation.”
Throughout his illustrious career, Yzaguirre has worked to promote the advancement of the Latino community. After becoming head of NCLR in 1974, Yzaguirre transformed a fledging grassroots organization into the nation’s most influential Hispanic institution, earning countless awards along the way. Prior to joining NCLR, Yzaguirre was a civil rights leader, served in the United States Air Force, was a program officer in the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity under Sargent Shriver, founded one of the most successful Latino-owned consulting firms in the nation’s capital, and was a vice president at the Center for Community Change. After three decades at the helm of NCLR, Yzaguirre currently serves as Presidential Professor of Practice at the Center on Community Development and Civil Rights at Arizona State University.
Given that he has a lot of right-wingers hating on him and NCLR, we may be in for a fight.
