National Council of La Raza

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) was founded in February 1968 under the name of the Southwest Council of La Raza as a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization established to reduce poverty and discrimination, and improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Its Central Office was originally located in Phoenix, Arizona and in 1970 it opened its National Services Office in Washington, D.C. Its early efforts were focused primarily in the Southwestern states of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

In 1973, the organization changed its name to the National Council of La Raza and moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C. to reflect its increasingly national focus. Henry Santiestevan served as the President and Executive Director of the Council from its inception through 1974, when Raul Yzaguirre, the current President and CEO of NCLR, came into office.

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