You didn't answer my question: Why doesn't NCLR denounce the militants in their organization that use the term "La Raza" (“The Race”) in conjunction with seizing the S.W. territories of the U.S.? And when I say denounce, I mean in the most stringent of terms, by ALL in the leadership of the NCLR, in public statements that leaves no doubt that they do not, in any way, endorse the agenda of MENCHa and other radical Mexican organizations.
All I ever hear is a little murmuring from the NCLR that they don't really ascribe to the views of the more extreme among them. And when the name of the organization is National Council of "The Race" such feeble attempts at distancing themselves from say MECHa does not, like you, carry much weight in the credibility department.
May 7, 2001
STATEMENT OF RAUL YZAGUIRRE, NCLR PRESIDENT ON LA VOZ DE AZTLAN
Washington, DC - Recently the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) became aware of a website and other information that is being circulated on the Internet by La Voz de Aztlan. The phrases the site frequently uses, "La Raza de Aztlan" or "La Raza," are generic terms that many use to refer to Mexican American people in this country. NCLR has no connection whatsoever to the website or its sponsoring group.
I am issuing this somewhat unusual statement because, after a cursory review of the website, I found it to be full of reprehensible and bigoted references toward a number of communities - in particular, to the Jewish American community. No responsible Latino organization or leader of my acquaintance agrees with the misinformation being dispensed on the site, nor do I know of any who concur with the grotesque stereotypes that appear in many of its alleged "articles." This site purports to be an "advocacy clearinghouse" for the Mexican American community, but it is anything but that. Its rhetoric is completely antithetical to anyone truly committed to civil rights for all in this nation - it not only disparages Jews, it is full of ugly and snide references to gays and lesbians. Moreover, it attacks the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a major Hispanic civil rights organization, apparently because some of its staff have chosen to marry people of other faiths.
These manifestations of hate, intolerance, and bigotry should be condemned by all Americans, especially when carried out in the name of fighting discrimination and oppression against our community. All Americans of conscience should know that this site is the work of a tiny, fringe group and does not reflect the opinions and feelings of the overwhelming majority of Latinos in this country.
Reading is not your forté, is it?