State of Latinos in America; University of Denver and Grupo Salinas' Fundacion Azteca America Present Preliminary Findings of Agenda Latino White Paper

State of Latinos in America; University of Denver and Grupo Salinas' Fundacion Azteca America Present Preliminary Findings of Agenda Latino White Paper

Full Report to Be Issued in Washington D.C. on September 23

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the key recommendations of a preliminary report on the state of Latinos in the United States is to establish a presidential advisory committee on Latino issues to increase the access of the Latino community to vital educational, health, economic, and civic opportunities.

The University of Denver (DU) and Grupo Salinas' Fundacion Azteca America, the non-profit arm of the Azteca America Network, present today the preliminary findings of a comprehensive study on the state of Latinos in the United States.

The full report, which was produced by DU's Latino Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship (DULCCES), includes detailed policy recommendations for the incoming Administration and Congress and will be presented to members of Congress during a televised forum in Washington, D.C. September 23.

"We're looking forward to presenting the findings and policy recommendations to the camps of both Republican and Democratic candidates, as well as to key members of Congress and other policy makers in September," said Luis J. Echarte, chairman of Azteca America and Fundacion Azteca America. "A stronger Latino community means a stronger nation as a whole. It's time to take the next step from diagnosis to action."

The report, entitled "The State of Latinos 2008: Defining an Agenda for the Future," is the result of exhaustive academic research and consultations with panelists at the State of Latinos event held in Denver on May 30, which included participation by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute; the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement; the National Council of La Raza; Voto Latino; NDN; the League of United Latin American Citizens; the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials; the Latino Issues Forum; the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. Audience members also included local Latino community leaders, Senator Ken Salazar, D-Colo. and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter.

DULCCES also held a forum with prominent local community leaders and leading academics to complement the consultation process.

"We are proud of the Latino Center and pleased they are engaged in this important work with Fundacion Azteca America in an attempt to address one of the great issues of the day," said DU Chancellor Robert Coombe.

The report focuses on five issues of importance to the Latino community: education, health care, the economy, immigration and the Latino vote.

Among the general findings are that Latino communities want to be self- sufficient and contribute to the U.S. society. However, Latinos face major challenges in accessing quality education, health care, and economic services. A lack of comprehensive immigration reform widens disparities and limits the future progress of the Latino community and the nation.

The topics covered are of vital importance to the nation as a whole. However, the efforts take on special significance due to the high and growing number of Latinos in U.S public schools, and their overrepresentation of the community in high school dropout rates. Cultural and communication barriers for public services such as health care are very costly to the nation in the short and long term. Although the state of the economy affects citizens across the nation, the predominance of the housing downturn among current economic woes is especially difficult for the Latino community, given its ties to the construction industry.

About DU and DULCCES

The University of Denver (www.du.edu), the oldest private university in the Rocky Mountain region, enrolls approximately 11,117 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Denver as a Research University with high research activity.

About Fundacion Azteca America

Fundacion Azteca America is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for members of the Hispanic community currently in the U.S. Fundacion Azteca America, Fundacion Azteca, Azteca America and TV Azteca are companies of Mexican conglomerate Grupo Salinas. For more information, visit www.fundacionaztecaamerica.org.

About Grupo Salinas

Grupo Salinas (www.gruposalinas.com) is a group of dynamic, fast-growing and technologically advanced companies focused on creating shareholder value, contributing to building the middle class of the countries where it operates, and improving society through excellence. Created by Mexican entrepreneur Ricardo B. Salinas (www.ricardosalinas.com), Grupo Salinas operates as a management development and decision forum for the top leaders of member companies TV Azteca (www.irtvazteca.com), Azteca America (www.aztecaamerica.com), Grupo Elektra (www.grupoelektra.com.mx), Banco Azteca (www.bancoazteca.com.mx), Afore Azteca (www.aforeazteca.com.mx), Seguros Azteca (www.segurosazteca.com.mx), and Grupo Iusacell (www.iusacell.com). Each of the Grupo Salinas companies operates independently with its own management, board of directors and shareholders. Grupo Salinas has no equity holdings. However, member companies share a common vision, values and strategies for achieving rapid growth, superior results and world-class performance.

DU Press Contact:
Dave Brendsel
(303) 871-2775
DBrendse@du.edu

Fundacion Azteca America Contact:
Daniel McCosh
011 52 55 1720 0059
dmccosh@gruposalinas.com

Source: University of Denver; Grupo Salinas; Fundacion Azteca America; Azteca
America

CONTACT: Dave Brendsel of DU, +1-303-871-2775, DBrendse@du.edu; or
Daniel McCosh of Fundacion Azteca America, +011-52-55-1720-0059,
dmccosh@gruposalinas.com

Web site: http://www.aztecaamerica.com/
http://www.gruposalinas.com/
http://www.du.edu/

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