David Cruz - Our LULAC

OUR LULAC

COMPROMISO CON AMERICA

25-YEARS LATER

by David Cruz

American Media Veteran

          Twenty-five years ago, on the eve of the election for National President of LULAC, the challenge against Latinos appeared as insurmountable as it seems today.

          It was July, 1995 and the United States was caught in the spirit of a document entitled: Contract with America. Unfortunately, this cleverly crafted manifesto written by Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich portrayed Hispanics as a threat to Anglo-Americans.

          That night, just hours before the LULAC Convention was to elect a new President, there was a sense that a bold, new vision was needed around which all our brothers and sisters could rally. LULAC would either rise up to challenge the Contract with America or allow xenophobia to take an even deeper hold on our nation.

          It was then that a small group of men and women came together and worked through an entire night hopeful they would be guided to do what the founders of LULAC had done. To seek a way forward with hope and courage to present Latinos in America very differently from the stereotypes portrayed by Gingrich.

          By dawn the following morning they had written “Compromiso Con America” (Commitment with America) which still stands today as one of LULAC’s most important statements. It reminds us all of who we are as community and why we must again re-commit to be a LULAC of action --- brave and strong in our beliefs that our cause is just. 

          I was in that room witnessing LULAC history 25 years ago and will be so again when LULAC gathers in Phoenix, Arizona. David V. Cruz

COMMITMENT WITH AMERICA

(COMPROMISO CON AMERICA)

          WHEREAS, when in the history of our Hispanic peoples, it becomes necessary and vital for the preservation of our place within the stream of the Western Hemisphere's story, then the values which we hold sacred as a culture ought to be recorded and shared throughout, so that others can better understand, respect and appreciate our presence and contributions within the fabric of America.

          WHEREAS, this record becomes all the more critical when events threaten to ignore and redefine the role of our people and to diminish and distort our rightful legacy of past, present, and future generations of Hispanic peoples.

            NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED and let it be known that these are the principles of our peoples:

ORIGIN

Our ancestry was born out of a blending of culture. Old World Conquistadors and New World Civilizations steeped in the millenniums of time.

SPIRIT

A faith brought together from Judeo-Christian precepts and a belief in a Natural Force greater than Humankind itself to forge a people with unparalleled inner power.

VISION

The intuitive ability of our collective peoples to recognize accomplishments of a proud past and see beyond the horizon of the future to achieve the greatness of our destiny within America.

RESPECT

The profound sense of recognition for others; their views and beliefs, as well as ourselves as individuals with worth and  belonging to a greater whole.

DIGNITY

We stand together as a people of strong character; proud of our past; with an enduring and unsurpassed work ethic for ourselves and our families; always mindful of our responsibilities to society.

FAMILY

We hold this to be the fundamental and most important unit of our community and with an unwavering love for one another and the lifelong maternal guidance and spirit imparted to us.

HEROISM

In conflict, the first to lead in the face of great personal danger and personal sacrifice, even the giving of our own lives for others; in our communities reaching deep within ourselves to achieve our fullest personal potential.

LANGUAGE

We are united by Spanish, our mother tongue, connected throughout the history of our peoples with expressions that foster deep, lasting and emotional bonds.

CULTURE

We are the image of a unique mixture of peoples through the centuries that have given birth to new traditions, values and art forms that reflect our diversity as well as our unity.

AMOR

Our inseparable links between men, women, parents and children are based upon loyalty, trust and commitment to all things we hold sacred from our first breath to the final closing of our eyes.

Passed and adopted by the National Assembly of the League of United Latin American Citizens, July 2, 1995. San Juan, Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the United States of America.