New name for La Raza draws mixed reactions

Tired of defending itself against charges of extremism spurred by its name, the National Council of La Raza is rebranding itself as “UnidosUS,” or United U.S.

The national nonpartisan Latino-advocacy organization’s new moniker is meant to promote unity in an increasingly fragmented nation, according to Janet Murguía, the group’s president and CEO.

But its unveiling Monday in Phoenix — the group’s birthplace and host of its 2017 conference — seemed to divide Latinos instead.

Conference attendees and community leaders were split on whether the move would bring would-be supporters into the fold or alienate existing supporters who took pride in the “La Raza” name. They disagreed about whether the name change was a savvy political maneuver or a sign of “selling out.” And they differed on how much the organization’s name mattered in the first place.

“Over time, labels change and the interpretation of those labels change,” said Christine Marín, historian and curator of Arizona State University’s Chicano Research Collection.

“The new name isn’t going to offend

anybody, but I also don’t know who will connect ‘UnidosUS’ with NCLR,” she said. “We’ll have to see how it plays out.”

“La Raza” can be translated literally as “the race” but is widely used to mean “the people” or “the community.” Writer José Vasconcelos coined the term in 1925 to refer to a diverse Latin American people.

“I always understood it as an inclusive term, like, ‘We, the people,’ “Marín said. “Writers and journalists were using the term ‘La Raza’ long before the ‘60s, when Chicano leaders adopted it as an element of pride.”

People also have confused NCLR with Texas’s short-lived La Raza Unida political party. The party took a confrontational stance against “gringos” in the early 1970s, sparking backlash from more moderate Mexican-American politicians.

“There’s no question that (our name) is something that we’ve had to defend,” NCLR adviser Lisa Navarrete told The Republic’s editorial board in June. “But ... our main interest is: Is this a name and a concept that’s relevant to today’s Latino community? It was in 1968. In 2017 or 2018, probably less.”

Murguía said she was concerned many Americans were unfamiliar with NCLR’s work, which includes everything from housing and education to health care and voter registration. The new name could help with the group’s “narrative,” she said.

“If we’re doing this work in a vacuum, it won’t help anybody,” she said, adding that the group’s 50th anniversary next year “needs to be about our future, not about our past.”

Veronica Villaseñor, with Chicago-based Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, didn’t mince words regarding the name change.

“I don’t like it,” the 34year-old said between conference sessions Monday. “It’s a big change. I feel like it kind of erases Latinos as the focus. Being called ‘La Raza’ doesn’t mean we can’t collaborate with non-Latino groups.”

Randy Perez, a Tempebased community organizer, said he didn’t like to see NCLR “give in to pressure.”

“I think we have to own our identity because it makes us powerful,” said Perez, 21.