A tireless advocate for civil rights, Arturo Vargas has devoted his professional life to building power for the Latino community and, in so doing, helping to fight xenophobia and racism in all its forms, toward all communities.

 Dear Friend,

A tireless advocate for civil rights, Arturo Vargas has devoted his professional life to building power for the Latino community and, in so doing, helping to fight xenophobia and racism in all its forms, toward all communities. We are honored to share that we will be honoring Arturo, former Executive Director and current Senior Advisor at NALEO, with the 2025 Award for Individual Achievement at our October 23, 2025 22nd Annual Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards Gala.

Arturo began his career in advocacy at the National Council of La Raza before becoming the Vice President for Community Education and Public Policy of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). There he led an award-winning effort to promote a full count of the Latino population, quickly becoming a nationally recognized expert in the Census. Also at MALDEF, he helped lead the effort to oppose California Proposition 187, an anti-immigrant initiative that sparked a lasting movement for Latino political power in California, that 30 years later still stands as a warning of the xenophobia taking hold in our country today. As the longtime CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Arturo remained steadfast amid ongoing efforts to target and disenfranchise the Latino community. Through his leadership, NALEO’s work has not only strengthened Latino political representation but also advanced equity and inclusion for all communities, ensuring that democracy reflects and serves the full diversity of the American people. We are proud to honor Arturo Vargas' commitment and unwavering support for strengthening American democracy by promoting the full participation of all with this year’s Gibran Award for Individual Achievement.

We hope you will join us for this year’s Gala, where we will also recognize the NAACP Legal Defense Fund with the Award for Institutional Excellence, to be accepted by President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson. We also will present a Special Recognition for Excellence in Journalism to the Journalists of Gaza, to be accepted by world-renowned photojournalist Motaz Azaiz.

Please reserve your tickets or book hotel accommodations soon as we are just a couple of weeks away.

 

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Arab American Institute Foundation
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