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Media Releases
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(408) 660-6907 |
| September 30th, 2006 |
Contact: Sylvia Ruiz |
LATINO ACTIVISTS MOBILIZE FOR FALL ELECTIONS
OFF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SUCCESS, NEW COALITION SET TO EXPAND HERE
San Jose, CA. More than 100 Latino activists from labor unions and community organizations took part in a political convention sponsored by a new civic participation non-profit known as Strengthening Our Lives (a.k.a. SOL). The detailed get-out the vote plan discussed at the convention follows on this years' unprecedented "today we march, tomorrow we vote" rallies by Latino and other immigrants in San Jose and across the nation.
This November, SOL will be expanding its highly effective field operations targeting Latino immigrant voters into San Jose and Fresno. Founded in 2005 during the special election, the SOL field campaign has increased voter turnout by as much as much as 22 percentage points.
Salvador Bustamante, a long-time union activist, gave the convention's keynote address: "The same confidence, the same sense of optimism that brought us here to this great prosperous state, now emboldens us to believe that we can revive the California Dream, voter by voter. It will be hard work, it will require many sacrifices, but we are not strangers to either."
SOL Executive Director summarized the basis of the organization's remarkable success in Southern California: "We have been phenomenally successful because our organizers are from the immigrant communities we organize, they work with us campaign after campaign, and they are passionate about their work."
The "Out of the Shadows: A Better Life for Everyone" convention was attended by prominent Latino elected officials who spoke about the emerging importance of the Latino vote. The Latino elected officials included Vice-Mayor Cindy Chavez, as well as Assembly Member Joe Coto and Assembly Member Alberto Torrico.
The convention also brought together activists from the a variety of community organizations including the Comite de Cesar Chavez and San Jose ACORN, with a variety of unions including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Laborers International Union, the Service Employees International Union, UNITE HERE, and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.
Strengthening Our Lives thru Action, Participation and Education, is a partnership of progressive labor, faith and community organizations dedicated to increasing the civic participation of California's immigrant communities. SOL was founded by the SEIU, representing property service, health and long-term care, as well as public service workers, and UNITE HERE, representing hotel, laundry as well as garment workers. SOL is a part of the Somos America coalition dedicated to defeating HR 4437 in favor of human and just immigration reform.
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Contact Javier Gonzalez at (714) 564-9974 for more information on SOL's civic participation work in the Golden State.
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