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LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS National Office |
2000 L Street, NW, Suite 610 PRESS RELEASE |
| For Immediate Release December 13, 2002 |
Contact: Lorraine Quiroga |
Washington, DC-While the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is encouraged by President Bush's chastisement of Senator Trent Lott, it remains important that we express our strong concern over the message sent by Senator Lott, last Thursday at Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday bash. Senator Lott's suggestion that the country would be better off if it had elected Strom Thurmond as President in 1948 when he ran on a pro-segregationist ticket is a slap in the face to all of those individuals who have fought and some who died in the fight for freedom and legal equality in the civil rights movement. LULAC urges the Senate to censure Mr. Lott, reject the segregationist policies of the past and elect a Majority Leader who can represent all Americans.
Trent Lott's statements were at the very least inappropriate and at worst a dangerous reversal of civil rights. "It is unacceptable that the future Majority Leader of the United States Senate made such insensitive comments about returning to the days of segregation," said LULAC National President Hector Flores. "This is not the first time that he has made such statements and it is certainly not the first time that he has made known his position on these matters. This indicates a pattern and practice that seems to stand in stark contrast to that of President George W. Bush with his "abriendo caminos" policy and the realities of the 21st century," said Flores. Senator Lott presents an image of inclusion, but underneath this veneer lies a dogmatic chauvinism of exclusion."
Senator Lott's voting record speaks loud and clear. He voted against the confirmation of Judge Roger Gregory, the first African-American to sit on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; against the creation Martin Luther King Day; against the Voting Rights Act extension; against the Civil Rights Act of 1990; and consistently against affirmative action. He filed an amicus brief on behalf of Bob Jones University and has spoken at meetings of the Council of Conservative Citizens, the successor to the segregationist White Citizens' Council.
"There is a lesson here for both parties to learn. Actions
speak louder than words. We must stand together as a nation irrespective
of our political philosophies against the evils of bigotry and
hate, and we must unmask those who only pretend to embrace the
principles of civil rights," said Hector Flores.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the oldest
and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States.
LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment,
political influence, health, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans
through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC
councils nationwide.