A Preview of Tonight’s 27th Annual NCLR Capital Awards

Tonight in Washington, DC, NCLR will bring together hundreds for our 27th Annual NCLR Capital Awards. Every year, we honor folks in Washington who have shown their committment to the Latino community in the work they do every day. This year, those receiving special distinction include the Senate “Gang of 8”, which was responsible for sheperding through to passage in the U.S. Senate a comprehensive immigration reform bill. The legislation has stalled in the House of Representatives, but the leadership these eight Senators provided in getting the bill through deserves recognition.

We’ll also be honoring the Fast for Families movement, which was started in November and led by Service Employees International Union Vice President, Eliseo Medina. The fast Medina and several others took part in on the National Mall last year was inspiring and received the attention of many in Washington, including President Obama. Fast for Families also recently started a bus tour across America, to highlight others around the country who have committed to fasting until immigration reform is passed. Fast for Families has put a human face on the struggle for reform and serves as a reminder of who it is we are all fighting for.

Finally, our President and CEO, Janet Murguía will deliver an address to Capital Awards attendees in which she intends to call on President Obama to put an end to unnecessary deportations, which are slated to reach two million in a matter of weeks. The Washington politcal newspaper, Politico, published a piece today in which Murguia talked about the president’s deportation record and about what will be in her speech this evening.

From the Politico article:

“Murguía said NCLR has been privately urging the White House for months to do something about deportations — which will soon number 2 million since Obama took office. The group was also using its megaphone to blame Congress and not Obama for the deportations. Just three weeks ago, NCLR called for an end “to unnecessary deportations” and asked supporters to “ask Republican leadership to take a stand for family values and pass immigration reform.”

Now that focus is being directed at the White House.

“We respectfully disagree with the president on his ability to stop unnecessary deportations,” Murguía will say during a Tuesday night speech to NCLR’s annual Capital Awards dinner, according to prepared remarks. “He can stop tearing families apart. He can stop throwing communities and businesses into chaos. He can stop turning a blind eye to the harm being done. He does have the power to stop this. Failure to act will be a shameful legacy for his presidency.”

It’s sure to be an exciting and news-making kind of night, so don’t miss out! You can follow the conversation on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow #NCLRCaps14 and join in via the widget below. We’ll be covering the entire evening.

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