Dear LULAC Familia, On this Mother's Day, I write to you with a full heart, grateful for the mothers in our lives, in our councils, and in our movement who have carried us this far. From generation to generation, our mothers have been our wisdom-keepers, our moral compasses, and the fierce defenders of our homes. They taught us our first words, our first prayers, our first lessons in dignity. They are the heart and soul of our Latino families. Today, my prayers are also with the immigrant mothers across this country who wake up each morning carrying a fear no mother should ever have to carry, the fear of being separated from their American-born children, the fear of detention, the fear of deportation. Their pain is real. Their courage is extraordinary. And their love, which knows no borders, bears witness to all of us. LULAC was born 97 years ago from the hope and labor of Latina mothers and fathers who believed in a better life for their children. As the matriarch of countless Latino-led movements, LULAC owes its longevity to the women who have stood at the front lines of social justice and civil rights. Today, we honor those women within our ranks and beyond. I want to share a few words from my wife, Mary, whose own life is a testament to the quiet strength that holds families and movements together: "Being a mother has taught me that love is the most powerful form of advocacy there is. To every mother in our LULAC familia, and to every mother watching over her children from afar tonight, you are seen, you are loved, and you are not alone." LULAC continues to stand with mothers in every way we know how, most recently as the first national Latino organization to defend birthright citizenship in federal court, a protection that has been a light of hope for generations of immigrant families and their U.S. born children. We will not stop. So today, I ask one small thing of you: call your mother if you still can. Visit her grave if you cannot. Hug your children. Say a prayer for the mother detained tonight who cannot hold hers. And remember that in this LULAC familia, you are never alone. May the peace of God be upon every household in America and Puerto Rico. And may every mother reading these words feel the gratitude of a movement that would not exist without her. Feliz Día de las Madres. Con cariño, 
Roman Palomares
National President and Chairman of the Board
League of United Latin American Citizens 
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