El Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Espaņola (the Spanish-speaking Peoples Congress) was the first national civil rights assembly for Latinas-Latinos. The approximately one thousand delegates representing 128 organizations assembled in Los Angeles on April 28-30, 1939, to address issues of jobs, housing, education, health, and immigrant rights. Veteran labor leader Luisa Moreno, the principal organizer, drew upon her contacts with labor unions, mutualistas, and Workers' Alliance chapters in order to ensure a truly national conference. Los Angeles activists Josefina Fierro de Bright, Eduardo Quevedo, and Bert Corona would also assume leadership roles in El Congreso. Although the majority of the delegates hailed from California and the Southwest, women and men traveled from such distances as Montana, Illinois, New York, and Florida to attend the convention.
Congreso delegates drafted a comprehensive platform, including political representation, immigrant rights, and bilingual education. El Congreso called for an end to segregation in public facilities, housing, schools, and workplaces, and for an end to discrimination in the disbursement of public assistance. Immigrant rights included the rights to live and work in the United States, to vote, and to hold public office. Delegates emphasized the importance of preserving Latina-Latino cultures and called upon universities to create departments in Latino studies. Despite the promise of the first convention, a national network of local branches never developed and red-baiting would later take its toll among fledgling chapters in California.
Vicki L. Ruiz
