Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today commended Paula Kerger, President of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns for their response today to concerns raised by a host of Latino organizations and leaders about the exclusion of Hispanic Americans from Burns’ upcoming documentary, “The War,” a series chronicling America during World War II.

In a letter today to NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía, Ms. Kerger outlined steps that PBS and Burns will take to include Hispanic American contributions to the war effort, including adding footage to the existing work and hiring a Latino producer to assist in the process. “This response is an important step forward not only for the Latino community but also for everyone interested in a true representation of what all of our country’s brave men and women did during World War II,” stated Murguía.

“This issue united our community in a way not often seen. At a time when some in this country question the loyalty and patriotism of the nation’s growing Latino population, this is a story that our community clearly believes needs to be told. I want to extend my appreciation to all those who worked so hard to bring this issue to light, especially Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez of the Defend Our Honor Campaign, our venerable veterans’ organizations such as the American GI Forum, and Latino members of Congress on both sides of the aisle including Congressmen Joe Baca, Luis Fortuño, and Ciro Rodriguez as well as Senators Bob Menendez and Ken Salazar,” continued Murguía.

“This response ensures that the story of all Americans will be told. The next step is to ensure how that story will be told. We pledge to work with our sister organizations, PBS, and Mr. Burns to ensure that that story is fair, accurate, and complete,” concluded Murguía.

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