UnidosUS

UnidosUS is a United States nonprofit organization that advocates for Latino communities through public-policy work, community programs, research, technical assistance, and coalition building. Founded in 1968 as the Southwest Council of La Raza and later known nationally as the National Council of La Raza, it developed from an effort to provide organizational and technical support to Mexican American community groups into a national institution representing the broader Hispanic and Latino population. The organization traces its roots to the National Organization for Mexican American Services, formed in Washington, D.C., in 1963. The Ford Foundation subsequently asked Herman Gallegos, Julian Samora, and Ernesto Galarza to assess how philanthropic support could strengthen Mexican American institutions in the Southwest. Their work contributed to the establishment of the Southwest Council of La Raza in Phoenix in 1968, with early financial backing from the Ford Foundation, the National Council of Churches, and the United Auto Workers. The organization obtained federal tax-exempt status during its founding year. In 1973, the Southwest Council of La Raza became a national organization, adopted the name National Council of La Raza, and moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C. Its scope gradually expanded beyond Mexican American issues. Beginning in the mid-1970s, it increasingly addressed concerns affecting people of diverse Latin American backgrounds, a broader Latino focus that was formally established by 1979. The organization has worked on immigration, citizenship, education, workforce development, housing, health, economic opportunity, voting, and civil rights. UnidosUS combines national advocacy with a network-oriented approach. It supports and collaborates with community-based organizations, provides technical assistance, develops policy research, and seeks to influence federal, state, and local decisions. Its advocacy has included support for immigration reform, pathways to citizenship for young people brought to the United States as children, and policies intended to limit unnecessary deportations. It also maintains a substantial convening role through its annual conference and related events, which bring together community organizations, public officials, business representatives, researchers, and advocates. The organization's funding model has changed over time. By 1980, it was funded almost entirely by the federal government, but reductions in federal support during the Reagan administration led it to reduce operations and concentrate more heavily on national policy work in Washington. After the 1996 welfare-reform law shifted greater responsibility for benefit funding and administration to the states, UnidosUS developed the Field Advocacy Project to engage more directly with state and local policy processes. In more recent reporting cited by the organization, most funding came from individuals, corporations, and foundations, with a smaller government component. On July 10, 2017, the National Council of La Raza announced the adoption of the UnidosUS name. The rebranding was intended to present a more inclusive and contemporary public identity while retaining the organization's longstanding Latino advocacy mission. The organization remains headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Phoenix, and San Antonio. In 2021, it announced that it would end its institutional relationship with Facebook, citing concerns about hate speech, misinformation, and harms associated with the platform.

UnidosUS began within a broader effort to build stronger institutions for Mexican American communities. In 1963, Mexican American organizers in Washington, D.C., established the National Organization for Mexican American Services. That group focused on technical assistance and coordination among Hispanic organizations. It presented the Ford Foundation with a proposal for an organization capable of supplying expertise, structure, and support to Mexican American community groups. The Ford Foundation commissioned Herman Gallegos, Julian Samora, and Ernesto Galarza to study conditions in the Southwest and recommend an institutional response. Their work led to the creation of the Southwest Council of La Raza in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1968. The new organization received support from the Ford Foundation, the National Council of Churches, and the United Auto Workers, and secured 501(c)(3) status in the same year. The organization experienced early leadership tensions. In 1973, it became a national body, changed its name to the National Council of La Raza, and relocated its headquarters to Washington, D.C. Disagreements among leaders led the Ford Foundation to threaten a withdrawal of funding. President Henry Santiestevan resigned, and Raúl Yzaguirre was elected to lead the organization. Under subsequent leadership, the group developed a stronger national policy profile. Although the phrase La Raza can be translated literally as “the race,” the organization used it in a specific political and cultural sense associated with the people of the Hispanic Americas. Beginning around 1975, the National Council of La Raza broadened its work beyond Mexican American constituencies to include issues affecting non-Mexican American Latinos. That broader orientation was formally adopted in 1979. By 1980, federal funding accounted for nearly all of the organization's support. Funding reductions during the Reagan administration forced operational cutbacks and encouraged a greater concentration on national policy advocacy in Washington. The organization continued to work on issues affecting Latino communities while adapting its institutional and funding model. The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act changed the administration of welfare funds by giving states greater control over distribution. In response, the organization created the Field Advocacy Project to influence policy implementation at state and local levels. This reflected a continuing strategy of combining national advocacy with engagement in community and government systems closer to the people affected by policy. Janet Murguía succeeded Raúl Yzaguirre as president and chief executive officer on January 1, 2005. During the following decade, the organization continued advocacy on immigration reform, citizenship, education, economic opportunity, health, housing, and civil rights. It also maintained a network role by supporting community-based organizations and convening an annual conference. On July 10, 2017, the National Council of La Raza announced that it would operate under the name UnidosUS. The change represented a rebranding of the established organization rather than the creation of a new entity. The new name emphasized unity and inclusion while preserving the group's national Latino policy and community-development mission. In October 2021, UnidosUS announced that it would sever all ties with Facebook. The decision followed concerns about the platform's role in enabling hate speech and misinformation and about broader social effects highlighted by disclosures from a former Facebook employee. UnidosUS remains a Washington-based national nonprofit with regional offices in several major U.S. cities.

• 2021

  UnidosUS ends institutional ties with Facebook

  [1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  The organization announces that it will sever ties with Facebook because of concerns about hate speech, misinformation, and the platform's broader social effects.

• 2017

  National Council of La Raza rebrands as UnidosUS

  [1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  The organization adopts UnidosUS as its public name.

• 2005

  Janet Murguía becomes president and CEO

  [1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  Janet Murguía succeeds Raúl Yzaguirre as the organization's chief executive.

• 1979

  Broader Latino scope is formalized

  [1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  The organization formally expands its constituency beyond Mexican Americans to include Latinos from diverse national backgrounds.

• 1973

  Organization becomes national and moves to Washington

  [1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  The Southwest Council of La Raza adopts the National Council of La Raza name and relocates its headquarters to Washington, D.C.

• 1968

  Southwest Council of La Raza is founded

  [1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  Herman Gallegos, Julian Samora, and Ernesto Galarza establish the organization in Phoenix with philanthropic, religious, and labor support.

• 1963

  National Organization for Mexican American Services is formed

  [1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  Mexican American organizers establish an early coordinating and technical-assistance organization in Washington, D.C.

A national Latino civil-rights and public-policy organization that connects community-based programs with federal, state, and local advocacy.

• State and local policy advocacy

  Field Advocacy Project

  A policy-engagement initiative developed after the 1996 welfare-reform law shifted greater control over welfare-fund distribution to state governments. The project reflects UnidosUS's strategy of working not only in Washington but also with state and local decision-makers whose implementation choices directly affect Latino communities.

• Conference and convening

  Annual UnidosUS Conference

  An annual convening that brings together Latino community organizations, policymakers, advocates, researchers, and other stakeholders. Conference programming provides a public forum for policy discussion, organizational networking, and examination of issues affecting Latino communities.

• Nonprofit support service · 1968

  Community-organization technical assistance

  Technical assistance is a foundational part of the organization's work. UnidosUS supports community-based groups with organizational knowledge, policy information, and connections intended to strengthen local capacity and improve delivery of services and advocacy.

• Immigration reform advocacy

  United States

  UnidosUS advocates for comprehensive immigration-policy changes, including a pathway to citizenship and protections for immigrant communities.

  Source
• Advocacy for young people brought to the United States as children

  United States

  The organization supports a pathway to citizenship and related protections for young people who were brought to the United States without lawful status as children.

  Source
• Deportation-reduction advocacy

  United States

  UnidosUS advocates for policies intended to reduce unnecessary deportations and limit the harmful effects of immigration enforcement on Latino communities.

  Source

• 2021

  End institutional ties with FacebookStrategy

  Background

  The organization cited concerns about hate speech, misinformation, and the broader social impact of Facebook, including issues discussed after disclosures by a former company employee.

  Action taken

  UnidosUS announced that it would sever all ties with Facebook.

  Source

• 2017

  Rebrand as UnidosUSStrategy

  Background

  The National Council of La Raza had operated for decades under a name that was increasingly debated in public discourse. The organization sought a name that communicated unity and a broader, contemporary Latino identity.

  Action taken

  The organization announced that it would use UnidosUS as its new name while continuing its existing advocacy and community-support work.

  Aftermath

  UnidosUS continued operating as a national Latino nonprofit organization under the new public identity.

  Source

• 2021

  UnidosUS announces it will sever ties with Facebook[1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The organization said it would end its relationship with Facebook over concerns about the platform's effects, including the spread of hate speech and misinformation.

• 2017

  National Council of La Raza adopts UnidosUS name[1]UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The organization announced a new public name, UnidosUS, replacing National Council of La Raza while continuing its Latino advocacy and community-support mission.

1. 1UnidosUSen.wikipedia.org