The anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and other derogatory comments levied against a fellow city councilman and community members have no place in our political discourse and elected office
Washington, DC – Latino Victory released the following statement in response to the offensive and racist comments made by Los Angeles City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo.
Statement from Nathalie Rayes, President and CEO of Latino Victory:
“The anti-Black and anti-Indigenous comments made by these three city councilmembers are reprehensible and have no place in our political discourse and elected office. We must never tolerate the racism, colorism, and anti-Black sentiments that plague the Latino community, especially when they’re displayed by elected officials.
“These hateful comments threaten to unravel the hard-fought advancements made by Latinos and contradict the values of racial equality and inclusion we’ve fought for in this country. When we fight for Latino representation in elected office, we do so under the principles of inclusion and equity, and the derogatory comments made by these city council members are an assault on these principles. These city council members must be held accountable for their actions, and as a community, Latinos must work even harder to dismantle racism and strengthen our ties with our allies in the Black community.”
