May 8, 2008 9:41 AM
We have done a heroic job in holding back the anti-immigrant IR-1105. The fight began back in January against a bill backed by Steve Levy, Long Island's most powerful politician, and its most vengeful politician as well. Dozens of organizations and scores of individuals have stoutly defended immigrants against the kind of onslaught that elsewhere in the country has swept away all opposition.
And yet we have not fully mobilized even those organizations charged with the defense of the Latino community.
For every Latino organization that has endured the cat calls and harrassment of the haters to speak out against the destruction of their community, there is at least one other Latino organization that has decided that taking on those who would exclude the immigrant is not a priority.
The power of Suffolk's hundreds of thousands of Latinos will only be fully realized if the organizations that have been chosen to represent them give their aspirations voice.
And if they do, that voice will be so strong that it will be heard from Huntington Station to Montauk.
Please urge your Hispanic chamber of commerce, your Latino professional society, your community organization or church group to take on the racists and demonstrate that somos unidos!