La Liga: Weekly Newsletter
May 7, 2020

Issue No. 12
LULAC.org

Happy Thursday,

In case you missed it, we had an amazing Town Hall on COVID-19 with key Congressional Leaders and presidential candidate Joe Biden. We are also excited to share last night’s EdJustice Town Hall to discuss our community’s challenges to virtual learning. And we take a look back at our LULAC and Univision Town Hall.

Here’s what to check out in this issue:

1. Interviews with Domingo and Sindy: See “Our Top Story”
2. Council Stipends through LULAC’s Relief Fund: See “Empower Through Access”
3. Grow with Google next workshop in Spanish: “Empower Through Access"

By Diego Tum-Monge

JUMP AHEAD

• LULAC In Action
• Empower Through Access
• In Latino News
• Highlights At Hand

Protecting Essential Workers

On Monday, LULAC hosted a town hall with Democratic Presidential Candidate, Joe Biden, and ranking U.S. House Representative to discuss issues of workplace safety in the food industry amid the pandemic. The virtual town hall was moderated by Enrique Acevedo, Anchor of Univision Noticias.

Watch the Facebook Livestream of the event or share it via YouTube.

The discussion highlighted a series of topics, including how to protect the rights of essential workers in the food industry, the impact of COVID-19 on Latino families and communities, and addressing how to ensure government oversight and policy effectively resolve the most critical issues affecting the U.S. food supply chain.

You can be part of our advocacy today by texting “FOR ALL” to 52886 and signing up to send a letter to your members of Congress!

Domingo Garcia speaking on CNN

Watch LULAC’s National President speak with CNN's John King on the COVID-19 Pandemic and the threat it poses to workers in meat plants across the nation. With our recent online streamed event, we are raising awareness of the needs our meatpacking plant workers and their families have on a daily basis!

See the full interview on our Facebook Page.

Sindy Benavides speaking on Democracy Now

An estimated 5,000 workers in the nation’s meatpacking plant have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 20 of them have died from the virus. Despite this, President Trump invoked an executive order to bar local governments from closing meat plants. We hear from meat plant workers and organizers about conditions during the pandemic and speak with Sindy Benavides, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is supporting the workers with a virtual town hall on food worker safety with presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and calling for Meatless May Mondays.

See the full segment here or read the transcript here.

#EdJustice Town Hall

The Impact of COVID-19 on Students and Educators

Educators are working hard to support their students during this unprecedented time, from shifting to new online learning demands and addressing families’ needs for meal programs to organizing around important ongoing issues like the Census, immigration and elections. Students, parents and families are also facing new challenges as they juggle adapting to virtual learning environments at home while doing all they can to stay healthy and financially stable.

Watch our Facebook Livestream of the event or share it via YouTube.

LULAC and the National Education Association (NEA) hosted a timely Town Hall on Education Justice with the National Immigration Law Center and the Hope Center for Wellness. This comprehensive discussion on COVID-19 and its impact on Latino students and families was moderated by María Peña, a journalist and digital reporter at Telemundo News.

The conversation addressed the challenges to virtual learning, increasing access to technology, mental health resources, advocating for our immigrant and undocumented families—plus what it will take to reopen schools.

Follow LULAC on social media and never miss our notifications for live events!

LULAC and Univision Town Hall

Addressing The Economic Needs of Latinos During the Pandemic

A highly-informative and very relevant live-streaming program was hosted by LULAC and Univision Noticias last Thursday, April 30. The hour-long online special was presented in Spanish and highlighted the latest facts and resources for millions of Latinos to deal with the financial impact of COVID-19.

Visit our Facebook Page to view the program in its entirety.

Teresa Rodríguez, Univision Anchor of Aquí y Ahora moderated the discussion. She was joined by Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President, and Sindy Benavides, LULAC National Chief Executive Officer. Panelists included: Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Aracely Panameño, Director of Hispanic Affairs, Center for Responsible Lending, and Cristina Martin Firvida, Vice President, Governmental Affairs, AARP.

Among the topics the program covered was what to do if you have lost your job because of COVID-19 and where to apply for unemployment benefits. Also, navigating requests for payment forbearance on student loans, mortgages, credit cards and automobile debt plus how to avoid falling victim to online scams and fraud.

Submit your local event or stay up-to-date with our LULAC Calendar.

LULAC Relief Project: Our Power in Mobilizing Together

Still open for council assistance!

LULAC has reached the maximum number of individuals we can currently support and is no longer accepting individual assistance applications to our COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Latino communities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico are being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now is the time when we must work together to lend a helping hand for all persons impacted by the coronavirus. We each have a part in providing impactful solutions and direct assistance, from corporate partners to community groups and organizations.

Apply for a micro-stipend to help uplift your local initiative.

LULAC is still providing funds to councils for local initiatives around hunger relief, technology access, mobility/transportation, mental health resources, mentoring and educational assistance. Visit our COVID-19 Relief Fund page for more information on the council micro-stipends, its criteria, and the application process.

LULAC is working hard to find additional resources from foundations and partners to provide to our communities through this unprecedented pandemic. We invite you to contribute to the amazing work of our members on the ground by donating to our LULAC Relief Fund.

Take the challenge, make an impact today!

#AyudaEnEspañol

In partnership with Hornitos Tequila, LULAC has developed Ayuda en Español, a one-stop online resource kit and social media effort designed to make crucial information accessible to Spanish speakers in our communities during the current health crisis. Together, we can empower our families with the tools to be able to access and share information for those in need.

Download the kit here.

Ayuda en Español makes it easy to navigate and seek assistance on an array of essential topics: unemployment benefits, Social Security, price spiking, access to health care, housing, healthcare for uninsured persons, help for incarcerated individuals, domestic violence, safety, well-being and immigration issues.

This is where we need your help! Get involved and share it on social media to spread the word about this information with #AyudaEnEspañol. Our people need accessible information and we can make sure that information gets to them.

Here’s a sample caption you can use:

#AyudaEnEpanol is for ___. Join us: write or share why #AyudaEnEspañol is important, snap a photo, and tag at least 3 people to join. I challenge @___, @___, and @___. LULAC.org/AyudaEnEspanol

Evento de Crecer Con Google

Posicione su negocio en el buscador y mapas de Google

Únete y participa en nuestro taller este lunes 11 de mayo a las 4 p.m. EST (1 p.m. PST). Regístrese aquí!

Visita nuestro pagina de web para más información sobre esta programa.

Your gift means a lot to us.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. LULAC is honored to have received all the support we did on #GivingTuesdayNow to continue advocating for our communities across the country. Your generous gifts will help LULAC continue essential initiatives in our Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan against COVID-19.

It’s still not too late to give! Together, we can address the challenges facing our communities and change the future of this nation for all in the U.S. #TogetherWeGive

Support these programs and others by donating today!

Upcoming Elections

Many states have taken measures to protect citizens from exposure during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, we encourages you to do your civic duty and safely vote. Here are the latest updates and related information about elections:

Nebraska Primaries

Tuesday, May 12. In-person early voting was suspended on March 14 due to the closure of election offices in response to the pandemic. Voters with disabilities can early vote by scheduling an appointment with their County Election Office. Polls will be open next week on the state’s election day. See the Secretary of State’s information on COVID-19.

Up Next… Oregon (May 18), Hawaii (May 22)

News and Updates

Resources offered for Latinos facing COVID-19, diabetes

Tuesday, May 5—Santa Ynez Valley Star shared: “SDRI, a global leader in diabetes research, education and clinical care, is stepping up by developing three new trustworthy resources to help in this special time of need.” See more about their resources at latinodiabetes.sansum.org.

Program to support Hispanic small business owners expands amid COVID-19

Tuesday, May 5—HR Drive highlighted: “In response to COVID-19's impact on the economy, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) and Wells Fargo are amplifying a program created to help small diverse businesses grow. The organizations announced the expansion of the Avanzar Small Business Accelerator program April 27.”

Immigrant workers face economic uncertainty during Covid-19 shutdown

Tuesday, May 5—America Magazine underlined: “According to the Center for Migration Studies in New York, nearly 20 million immigrants work in jobs that are critical to the nation during the coronavirus. Roughly half are naturalized citizens, and the rest are legal noncitizens or undocumented migrants.”

ICE’s Immigration detainees protested lack of coronavirus precautions and swat-like private-prison guards pepper-sprayed them.

Tuesday, May 5—The Intercept reported: “During a two-week period amid the Covid-19 pandemic, SORT officers at Stewart have used force on immigrant detainees two times, on April 9 and again on April 20.”

Now is the time to stand up for DACA recipients and Dreamers

Tuesday, May 5—In an opinion piece on the Hill, Janine Davidson shared: "As the president of a large public university with close to 400 undocumented students, and many more Dreamers who have graduated and entered the workforce, it is my job to support these hard-working members of our community as they pursue the exceedingly more elusive American Dream."

Local Council and National Partner Spotlights

Telemundo chairman Cesar Conde tapped to lead NBCUniversal's expanded news division

Monday, May 4—The Wall Street Journal highlighted that the NBCUniversal’s news networks will be organized into a single unit called NBCUniversal News Group, which includes NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC, and will be led by Cesar Conde who assumed the newly created role of Chairman. LULAC would like to congratulate Mr. Conde on the new position.

LULAC Kansas speaks up for workers

Monday, May 4—The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Kansas criticized the assistance from the Office of the Governor, Kansas Department of Agriculture and the meatpacking industry as insufficient.

Verizon sponsors two-part series on criminal justice reform

Friday, May 1—Over the next eight weeks, the series will feature articles and related digital content on decarceration and improving prison conditions. This week, Politico released the first package on decarceration which explores why the U.S. has the largest prison population in the world and identifies ways to decrease it. See it for yourself!

The second package on improving prison conditions begins on June 18. It will cover solitary-confinement reform, First Step Act implementation, and a reform movement by inmates sentenced to life.

Toyota Partners With Latino-Focused Nonprofits For COVID-19 Response

Friday, April 24—During these difficult times, we’re grateful to continue our partnership with Toyota to ensure our Hispanic community is supported throughout this pandemic. We invite you to see their COVID-19 Community Service Announcement (CSA) on Twitter and Facebook.

LULAC in the News

Biden calls meatpacking plant conditions ‘inhumane and downright immoral’
Tuesday, May 5—Successful Farming

'We owe you,' Joe Biden tells meat processing, essential workers during a Latino town hall
Monday, May 4—NBC News

U.S. Representatives call for better protection of workers in meatpacking plants
Monday, May 4—KXAN

Joe Biden and LULAC spotlight coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants, blame Trump
Monday, May 4—The Dallas Morning News

Our Press Releases

*Selected highlights from the week

A Message from LULAC National President: Today’s Cinco de Mayo
Tuesday, May 5

LULAC Responds To Trump Administration Declaring Meat Plants “Critical Infrastructure” And Treating Essential Workers As Disposable
Tuesday, April 28

LULAC Remembers Guillermo ‘Memo’ Garcia, the Latest Victim of the El Paso Shooting, the Deadliest Anti-Latino Attack in Modern History
Tuesday, April 28

Read our latest press releases published at LULAC.org.

Do you have a special story? Connect with us via email!

Latino Discovery Hub
Look here to find new authors, stories, artists, podcasts, and social influencers who helped shape the identities, cultures, and thoughts of your fellow readers.

This week is about: WAYS WE CONNECT

People Finding New Ways To Connect During Coronavirus Social Distancing

When’s the last time you connected with a stranger? Quarantine Chat is a new app that can help pair you up with someone from around the world based on topics of your choosing. It’s not as strange as it sounds, we promise.

20 of the best online activities to keep you connected while you're away from family and friends

Maybe talking with strangers isn’t your forte, so here’s 20 activities you can do online with your friends and family!

A guide to the Internet

If 20 online activities wasn’t enough, try these other community activities or any of the other 100+ things to do online from the Los Angeles Times.

How to Stay Connected to Loved Ones Despite Social Distancing

Staying connected isn’t always about how we do it. It’s also about why we do it. You do not have to preserve your mental health alone. Strong social bonds are great ways we can connect with others.

Feeling distressed? Connect with someone.

• Visit the Disaster Distress Helpline, call 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746.
• Visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 800-273-TALK (8255)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine or call 800-950-NAMI (6264)

Next week is about virtual learning. Share your ideas via email!

Engage with us online.

Use @LULAC and #LULAC for a chance to be in the next issue of La Liga!

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading!

WHAT’S NEXT?

• See all our newest videos and town halls on our COVID-19 Playlist on Facebook.
• Don’t have Facebook? Check out our YouTube!
• Look ahead: Our next fight is in Congress as we continue to advocate for better support for our communities.
• Take action now by texting “FOR ALL” to 52886 to ask your representatives to support essential worker protections.

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What do you think of the newsletter? What would you like to see? Email us with your suggestions or questions at [email protected].