WASHINGTON, March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Hundreds of leaders in the corporate, legislative and advocacy communities joined together at the 28th annual NCLR (National Council of La Raza) Capital Awards gala to honor Sen. Cory Booker (D–N.J.) and America's Voice Founder and Executive Director Frank Sharry for their work in improving the lives of Latinos. Every year, the Capital Awards gala recognizes elected officials who promote legislation and public policies that benefit Hispanic Americans.

"In his short time on Capitol Hill, Sen. Booker has worked with Republican colleagues to reform the nation's juvenile justice system and end the school-to-prison pipeline for young Latinos," said NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía. "Sen. Booker is the force behind the 'REDEEM Act,' which will overhaul outdated 'tough-on-crime' policies and give young Latinos ensnared in the juvenile justice system, as well as nonviolent criminals, a better chance to rebuild their lives. NCLR applauds the efforts of Sen. Booker and his colleagues to tackle this incredibly complicated issue, and we hope that other lawmakers will see the value of giving young people a second chance."

This year, NCLR also presented the 2015 Capital Award for Public Service to Frank Sharry for his unyielding commitment to fighting for immigrant families and comprehensive immigration reform. Sharry has been a consistently outspoken leader calling on lawmakers across the country to deliver a permanent solution to fix the nation's broken immigration system. He has worked side by side with NCLR for decades to organize and rally support for reform.

"We have deferred action, a bipartisan immigration bill in the Senate and the president's executive actions thanks in large part to the work of Frank Sharry and America's Voice," Murguía added. "Frank has been a tremendous ally throughout this fight, always at the frontlines, willing to put his neck out for the sake of doing what's right and fair for immigrant families. We have not won immigration reform yet, but our movement is certainly stronger because Frank Sharry is on our side."

Erika Gonzalez, Consumer Reporter/Anchor for NBC4 Washington, served as master of ceremonies at the event, which was held at the National Building Museum. Event co-chairs included Hyundai Motor America and Wells Fargo.

Contact:
Julian Teixeira
(202) 776-1812
jteixeira@nclr.org

 

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SOURCE National Council of La Raza

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