Los grupos que defienden los derechos de los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos multiplican acciones de cabildeo en el Congreso para pedir a los senadores que introduzcan modificaciones al proyecto de ley de reforma migratoria que resolvieron comenzar a debatir el lunes.

Algunas de estas agrupaciones organizaron este martes un evento en salas del Congreso para pedir cambios al proyecto, menos de 24 horas despu?de que el Senado abriera formalmente el debate sobre una iniciativa de ley que es producto de un acuerdo de democratas y republicanos, con apoyo de la Casa Blanca.

WHEREAS, the epidemic of childhood obesity facing our nation is the result of cumulative changes in our communities that have undermined our children’s ability to eat well and be physically active. The challenges are greater in communities of color, which typically have less access to healthy, affordable foods and safe places for children and families to play and exercise; and

WHEREAS, research as well as our own historical experience tells us that the childhood obesity epidemic in our Latino community is a byproduct of years of policies of neglect and disinvestment in our communities; and

WHEREAS, nationally 35% of Mexican-American girls and 40.8% of Mexican-American boys are obese or overweight and childhood obesity in our community is higher than the national rate of 32%; and

WHEREAS, the food and beverage industries make billions of dollars by aggressively marketing and selling low nutritional products to our communities while access to healthy foods in low income neighborhoods is severely limited; and

WHEREAS, the 11 “Big Food” companies control 2/3 of the TV advertising market for children under age 12; and

WHEREAS, it is well documented that the built environment, structural racism and inequitable and exclusionary policies, have impacted quality of life for Latinos and other communities of color making it all the more vital that we engage communities in finding solutions to the challenges they face; and

WHEREAS, studies of prevention initiatives have shown that increased capacity at the local level has resulted in reduced risk, increased public awareness, and strengthened social and political infrastructure for these communities; and

WHEREAS, for our efforts to be effective we need to strive to go beyond traditional approaches that focus on health promotion and individual behavioral change in “high-risk” communities of color and work from the knowledge of our own communities to transform the root causes that have shaped social, economic and environmental policies that negatively impact our lives;

1. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso are urged to engage in the development and implementation of effective, culturally competent policy initiatives to address childhood obesity at the local, state and national levels and especially out National Nutrition Programs; and

2. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso support initiatives and health care reform efforts that provide opportunities for our community to develop new public priorities that value the health of our children, and hold the food and beverages industry accountable for the impact of their products and marketing strategies in our communities; and

3. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso will support community interventions that increase the opportunities for families to lead healthier lives, value our culture and contribute to our bienestar (well-being), addressing the structural inequalities that affect our quality of life.