Pioneering Hispanic activist Dionicio Morales dies

Dionicio Morales, a former labor organizer whose efforts to help his community resulted in the creation of one of the nation's largest Latino social service providers, has died. He was 89. Morales died of natural causes Wednesday at Beverly Hospital in Montebello. He was organizing garment workers in the early 1960s when he decided to create the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation in 1963. Morales persuaded the vice president, Lyndon Johnson, to meet with members of the Mexican-American community during a visit to Los Angeles. Johnson later helped his foundation secure funding from the Department of Labor.

The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation has since grown to serve more than 100,000 people. It provides a variety of services, including English classes and immigration assistance, mainly to people with low and moderate incomes.

To further view this article go to: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10591150?nclick_check=1

Tags: hispanic/diversity

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of Hispanic professional society & diversity job fairs at NSHP.org to add comments!

Join this social network

Welcome to
Hispanic professional society & diversity job fairs at NSHP.org

Sign Up
or Sign In

About NSHP

With 10,000+ members, the National Society for Hispanic Professionals is the top US networking association for Hispanic professionals. It's free to join and this is a great place for you to connect with new people who share your interests, BUT it's not for selling or promoting your business. Join us today and ask here if in doubt about our policy.