Wednesday, June 10, 2009 – Dallas, Texas — More than 400 League of United Latin
American Citizens (LULAC) members attended the 80th annual Texas State LULAC
Convention — "Unity 09" — in Dallas at the Hilton Lincoln Centre June 4-7.
Statewide officer elections were held and State Director Joey Cardenas of
Louise, Texas, was re-elected to a second term.

"I am very happy and grateful for the opportunity to serve LULAC as a state
director once again," said Cardenas, 38, who works as a high school government
and economics teacher. "I hope to continue to modernize the state organization,
keep energizing the membership and implementing progressive programs. I am very
proud that the organization has as elected an executive cabinet that is made up
talented people from all over the state."

Also re-elected at the convention was State Deputy Director Linda Chavez from
Austin. Joining Cardenas and Chavez will be State Treasurer Valentine Villa of
Temple, Deputy Director for the Elderly Elvia Rios of McAllen, Deputy Director
for Women Mary Lou Canales of Victoria, Deputy Director for Youth Gabriel Rivas
of Arlington, and Deputy Director for Young Adults Claudia Sanchez of San
Antonio.

LULAC Youth (high school students that have formed LULAC councils on campuses)
also had their own convention and elected its own leadership: Youth Director
Yoana Elizabeth Ayala of Richardson, Youth Deputy Director Stephanie Gaytan of
Dallas, Youth Deputy Director for Young Women Andrea Nicole Suarez of Austin and
Youth Treasurer Yazmin Diaz of Plano.

At the convention, attendees participated in civil rights work shops dealing
with comprehensive immigration reform, law enforcement issues, leadership
development and higher education access.

The convention lived up to its theme "Unity `09" with a formal signing of a
memorandum of understanding among LULAC, the NAACP and the U.S. Department of
Justice, at the convention's ribbon-cutting ceremony. The document called upon
LULAC and NAACP to cooperate on social justice issues that affect their
constituencies.

Seventeen resolutions were also adopted by the membership on the last day of the
convention, which included a resolution supporting the Supreme Court nomination
of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a resolution calling for the passage of Development,
Relief, Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, and a resolution endorsing the
City of Dallas as the site for the 2012 National LULAC Convention that will be
decided at this year's national convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 18.

The membership also selected its 2012 State Convention site: San Marcos, Texas.
Next year's state convention will be held in Austin, followed by Killeen in
2011.

LULAC's state convention was visited by politicians of every political stripe,
including Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen.
Kay Bailey Hutchison: San Antonio physician Dr. Alma Aguado, former Texas
Comptroller John Sharp of Austin and Houston Mayor Bill White. LULAC members
also heard from former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, who was appointed
by President George W. Bush.

LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic Organization in the United States.
LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political
influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based
programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide. The organization
involves and serves all Hispanic nationality groups.
For more information about Texas LULAC, visit www.tx-lulac.org.

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