UnidosUS Mourns the Passing of a Latino Leader and Advocate

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, President and CEO Janet Murguía, issued the following statement in response to the death of Angelo Falcón, journalist, political scientist and co-founder of the National Institute for Latino Policy:

“We at UnidosUS are deeply saddened by the news that our friend and colleague Angelo Falcón has died. His energy, work and devotion to Puerto Rican and Latino causes touched countless lives and were a source of inspiration.

Angelo was irreverent, sometimes profane, always hilarious and the quickest of wits with a bottomless appetite for culture, pop or otherwise. But his humor often belied his passion and brilliance. He devoted his life to speaking truth to power and that included to his friends and allies, including UnidosUS, and we were the better for it.

He also had enormous foresight. An activist in the Puerto Rican community since his teens, he saw the importance of connecting and uniting with the larger Latino community years before most. It led to the creation of his organization, the National Institute for Latino Policy and its indispensable newsletter.

He also recognized that protest and advocacy needed to be coupled with facts and data and he became one of the community’s fiercest defenders and champions when it came to the Census. And as we approach a challenging 2020 Census, we have truly lost our community’s top expert on the issue.

And Angelo was one of the researchers on the first ever survey of Hispanics in this country, the National Latino Political Survey in 1990, which was a treasure trove of information that fueled advocacy and policy-making for decades and inspired a new generation of academics and research devoted to Latino issues and concerns.

Angelo made an indelible mark for justice and was a passionate champion for all Latinos, and we will sorely miss him. Our hearts go out to his family and to all of those who were impacted and enriched by his extraordinary efforts. Que en paz descanse,” Murguía said.