Latino activist Dionicio Morales recently died at the age of 89. Described by publisher of the Hispanic Link news service as “the most consistent Mexican American civil rights leader that I've been associated with”, Morales opened the doors to many of his peers and to future generations of Latinos:
He was organizing garment workers in the early 1960s when he decided to do something to help residents of the largely Hispanic neighborhoods east of downtown Los Angeles who lacked health care, job training, child care and other services.
He created the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation in 1963 and called the White House for help. He was referred to the Mexican Embassy, where by chance then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson was meeting with Mexico's ambassador about the same issue...
The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation has since grown to serve more than 100,000 people. It provides a variety of services, including English classes and immigration assistance, mainly to people with low and moderate incomes.
In the clip below from 2005, Morales reflected on his work but also tried to inspire his audience to keep striving to overcome the obstacles still facing the Latino community. (Part 2 here).
(Hat tip: Guanabee).
Sources- Guanabee, YouTube, Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News
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