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The 2026 National LULAC Convention is taking place at the Fort Worth Convention Center in the city\u2019s downtown. The convention runs through June 20. (Penelope Rivera | KERA)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\tThe 2026 National LULAC Convention is taking place at the Fort Worth Convention Center in the city\u2019s downtown. The convention runs through June 20. (Penelope Rivera | KERA)<\/p>\n
The 2026 National Convention of The League of United Latin American Citizens<\/a> in Fort Worth is crucial amid national issues affecting Latinos and other racial minority groups, the organization\u2019s president said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re making sure that people understand what the rights are of our immigrant neighbors that are coming in, people that are asking for help, and that\u2019s what these sessions are all about the next two days,\u201d Roman Palomares, LULAC\u2019s national president, told KERA News in an interview Thursday.<\/p>\n LULAC is the nation\u2019s oldest and largest Latino civil rights group, founded in 1929 in Corpus Christi. It has more than 570,000 members nationally and advocates for several issues, including voting rights, access to education and basic human rights.<\/p>\n Palomares pointed to increased immigration efforts <\/a>by President Donald Trump\u2019s administration and the ongoing legal battle of birthright citizenship<\/a> as issues the group is focusing on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to make sure that those laws are being abided by,\u201d Palomares said. \u201cIf the Constitution is being violated, then we\u2019re going to make that it\u2019s not being violated. And if it takes a lawsuit, then we are going to do it, because that\u2019s the law of the land.\u201d<\/p>\n The convention will have workshops, cultural events and state politicians as guest speakers. It will run through Saturday at the Fort Worth Convention Center \u2014 which is also set to host this year\u2019s United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce convention in September.<\/p>\n The first day of the convention included a Fort Worth Welcome Celebration with several panelists, including State Reps. Gina Hinojosa, Salman Bhojani, and Bobby Pulido, the democratic nominee for Texas\u2019 15th District.<\/p>\n LULAC also announced its partnership with Tyson Foods Inc. to donate 40,000 pounds of protein to Tarrant Area Food Bank. More than 1,000 books, along with Lego sets, will be also distributed.<\/p>\n Other days will offer information and resources like financial education work sessions, mental health and wellness, Latino and Women leadership, and meetings for LGBTQ+ members and youth groups.<\/p>\n David Cruz, national communications director for LULAC, said Thursday this year\u2019s convention is meant to highlight the importance of young people and multi-generational households to become engaged in civic issues in their communities and teach them how these issues impact them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are an important voice for the national Latino community and other communities of color, especially during this time, because we\u2019re seeing so many attacks on our civil and human rights in the United States,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cThe right to vote, the right to have a voice, the rights to speak about education, health care, jobs, veterans access, many of the benefits that we take for granted now that we thought we had resolved are now coming back as issues which we have to, generationally speaking, fight for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s hope that we can continue as a nation to work together, but we have to look beyond partisan politics,\u201d Cruz said.<\/p>\n Penelope Rivera is KERA\u2019s Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n