Civil Rights Groups Encourage Blacks and Latinos to Speak up on Health Care Reform

Today, a coalition of civil rights organizations announced a joint initiative to encourage millions of Black and Latino Americans to make a final push for universal health care coverage. The coalition includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Council of La Raza, the Center for Community Change, the United States Student Association, PowerPAC.org, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR).

"The guarantee of a fundamental right to quality health care won't mean anything if the reform legislation leaves out millions of Americans," LCCR President Wade Henderson said. "As we get down to crunch time, we believe that this discussion and our media campaign will help these voices be heard in the halls of Congress and at the White House."

The initiative includes television, print and online ads in English and Spanish that will run in four states with large Black and Latino populations: Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina. The ads are part of a broader grassroots effort to educate members of Congress about the importance of health care reform to their minority constituents.