WASHINGTON, March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Hundreds
of leaders in the corporate, legislative and advocacy communities
joined together at the 28th annual NCLR (National Council of La
Raza) Capital Awards gala to honor Sen. Cory Booker (D–N.J.) and
America's Voice Founder and Executive Director Frank Sharry for their work in improving the
lives of Latinos. Every year, the Capital Awards gala recognizes
elected officials who promote legislation and public policies that
benefit Hispanic Americans.
"In his short time on Capitol Hill, Sen. Booker has worked with
Republican colleagues to reform the nation's juvenile justice
system and end the school-to-prison pipeline for young Latinos,"
said NCLR President and CEO Janet
Murguía. "Sen. Booker is the force behind the 'REDEEM Act,'
which will overhaul outdated 'tough-on-crime' policies and give
young Latinos ensnared in the juvenile justice system, as well as
nonviolent criminals, a better chance to rebuild their lives. NCLR
applauds the efforts of Sen. Booker and his colleagues to tackle
this incredibly complicated issue, and we hope that other lawmakers
will see the value of giving young people a second chance."
This year, NCLR also presented the 2015 Capital Award for Public
Service to Frank Sharry for his
unyielding commitment to fighting for immigrant families and
comprehensive immigration reform. Sharry has been a consistently
outspoken leader calling on lawmakers across the country to deliver
a permanent solution to fix the nation's broken immigration system.
He has worked side by side with NCLR for decades to organize and
rally support for reform.
"We have deferred action, a bipartisan immigration bill in the
Senate and the president's executive actions thanks in large part
to the work of Frank Sharry and
America's Voice," Murguía added. "Frank has been a tremendous
ally throughout this fight, always at the frontlines, willing to
put his neck out for the sake of doing what's right and fair for
immigrant families. We have not won immigration reform yet, but our
movement is certainly stronger because Frank Sharry is on our side."
Erika Gonzalez, Consumer
Reporter/Anchor for NBC4 Washington, served as master of ceremonies at
the event, which was held at the National Building
Museum. Event co-chairs included Hyundai Motor America and
Wells Fargo.
Contact:
Julian
Teixeira
(202) 776-1812
jteixeira@nclr.org
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SOURCE National Council of La Raza