Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., announced today that Chicago will host the 2009 NCLR Annual Conference. Earlier this year, the NCLR Board of Directors voted to move the 2009 Annual Conference from Kansas City, Missouri, in response to a request from NCLR’s Kansas City Affiliates, who were concerned about the actions of Kansas City’s mayor in appointing a member of a vigilante group, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, to an official position. The NCLR Board of Directors subsequently voted to move the Conference to another location. To ensure that the event remained in the Midwest, NCLR selected Chicago as the host city. The Conference will be held July 25-28 at the new McCormick Place West Building. Chicago has hosted the NCLR Annual Conference three times before, most recently in 1997.

“Chicago is a culturally diverse city with a strong Latino community that embraces the values our nation was built on, and we are excited to bring our 2009 Annual Conference to a city that appreciates and recognizes the contributions of Latinos,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

“We are pleased to welcome this prestigious organization to our facility in 2009,” said Juan Ochoa, Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. “The flexibility and functionality of our new state-of-the-art West Building is perfectly suited for organizations like NCLR. We wish them great success at McCormick Place.”

“We are especially thankful to Juan Ochoa for his efforts to help us bring the Conference to this great city. We have strong ties to this city as the home of 12 NCLR Affiliates that work daily to create opportunities and open doors for Latinos,” added Murguía.

“On behalf of Mayor Richard M. Daley, Chicago is pleased to welcome the National Council of La Raza and its members to our world-class city and spectacular new West Building,” said Tim Roby, President and CEO of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. “We very much look forward to the opportunity to help make the 2009 Annual Conference an incredible success for NCLR and Chicago.”

The NCLR Annual Conference is the single largest gathering of its kind in the Hispanic community, serving as the meeting ground for more than 20,000 community organization leaders, activists, and volunteers; elected and appointed officials; members of the corporate, philanthropic, and academic communities; senior citizens; college students; and youth.

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