KILLEEN, Texas — The League of United Latin American citizens, commonly called LULAC, has a long history of making a difference in communities in Central Texas.
LULAC was founded in 1929 with a single mission, to combat racial discrimination against Hispanic Americans.
”To challenge discriminatory practices such as those that existed in segregating schools, no permitting people of Mexican American decent to enter establishments such as, restrooms, restaurants, swimming pools and theaters,” said David Contreras, LULAC National Historian.
Throughout the decades LULAC has championed civil rights, political participation through voting and education.
They even created a landmark education program for Spanish speaking children.
”To teach Mexican American children who were entering the First Grade, 400 words,” Contreras said.
"To create better opportunities for them to pass from kindergarten to the First grade. That program was so successful that it was adopted by over 200 school districts in Texas.”
That program was the precursor to what is now Project Head Start.
LULAC also makes small impacts every day.
Simple things like feeding the less fortunate in Downtown Killeen.
”You hand a plate of food to somebody,” said AnaLuisa Carrillo-Tapia, LULAC District 17 Director.
"Not only are you handing them a plate of food, you're handing them a community that says 'We believe in you, we care about you, we know that this is a rough spot for you but, we know that tomorrow is bound to be better.'"
LULAC has also played a key role in things like getting the name of Fort Hood changed to Fort Cavazos and getting justice for the family of murdered Fort Cavazos soldier Vanessa Guillen.
Their dedication to U.S. service members doesn’t stop there.
”Whether people notice it or not, we’re advocating for our service members to have a pathway to citizenship," Carrillo-Tapia said.
"We advocated the Brandon Caserta Act that has to do with mental health and the prevention of suicides.”
All the work they do won’t stop anytime soon.
”We do it because there’s a need and because sometimes, their voice wasn’t loud enough or wasn’t listened to in the area they needed change in,” Carrillo-Tapia said.
“Therefore, LULAC exists, and we’ve been existing since 1929.”
From scholarships and feeding the homeless to the halls of congress, LULAC is constantly fighting for change and a better life for their community.
