LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS National Office

2000 L Street, NW, Suite 610 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 833-6130 (202) 833-6135 PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release January 22, 2003

Contact: Lorraine Quiroga 202-833-6130

Washington, DC-Yesterday, the Census Bureau confirmed that Hispanics are indeed the fastest growing population group in our nation. The latest Census data indicates that the Hispanic population in the United States has increased to 13 percent. Hispanics are now running about even with the African American population. "Given that we face similar challenges, the growth of our numbers provides a unique opportunity for the Hispanic and African American communities to work together and forge a truly inclusive national agenda. Now more than ever, we can obtain more political and economic leverage in our country," said Hector Flores, LULAC National President.

While Hispanics are growing in numbers, our political representation is still very disproportionate. "Our numbers do not give us automatic entrée within the system, we must embrace our civic responsibility and empower ourselves by voting and being good advocates for our community. Because we are a young population, education is critical to our advancement. A truly educated population is more likely to engage in the political process and be better prepared to contribute to our nation's economy," said Flores.

Yesterday's announcement came as no surprise to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) who has considered Latinos to be the number one minority group in the U.S. for the past five years. "We have been the largest minority group for a while now," said Flores. In fact, LULAC says that if you count the 4 million Puerto Ricans who reside in Puerto Rico, Hispanics have been the largest minority for the past five years. LULAC believes it is only logical to count the Puerto Ricans because they are U.S. citizens. The Census Bureau, however, does not count Puerto Ricans because they do not reside in a state. "This is illogical because the Census Bureau has always counted citizens who reside in the District of Columbia which is not a state," added 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.