› Read Wes Clark's letter to the Hispanic community

This week the Clark campaign launched Reuniones Latinas e Hispanas. The goal of these meetings is to reach out to local Hispanic and Latino communities throughout the nation and to discuss how Wes Clark's policies will impact their lives. This is a grassroots initiative led by the community, for the community. It will serve as a forum through which the Latino and Hispanic voice is specifically sought after and heard.

In an Open Letter Addressed to the Hispanic and Latino community released this week, General Clark stated, "The Hispanic and Latino community is already playing a crucial role in my campaign. I hope you'll join us... Americans deserve a leader who will make the right choices on the economy, education, health care, national security, immigration and relations with Latin America. You deserve a leader who understands and cares about your community and its issues. I am committed to moving beyond "palabras" (words) and giving you "hechos" (actions)."

"These meetings are designed to truly engage the Hispanic community. This is not about paying lip service. This is about showing commitment to the issues and also ensuring that the community has a seat at the table and a chance to be truly represented in the Clark campaign," said Kety Esquivel, National Hispanic Outreach Coordinator.

This week's meetings, which included events in California, Arkansas, New Mexico, New York, Michigan and New Hampshire are the first in an ongoing series of conversations that will be held throughout the course of the campaign. The meeting in East Harlem, New York was a great example of how the campaign and the community can join forces. An overflow crowd, led by local District Leader John Ruiz, met at Jake's Place (a local landmark), where the ideas and energy flowed.

"This is the best meet-up I've ever been to," reported Melissa Salmons, a New York campaign staffer. "The enthusiasm is contagious -- everyone took flyers to hand around the neighborhood, they had so many ideas about how to reach out in senior centers and at community events. And it's just great to hook up our campaign volunteer base with the people in the community who work so hard every day to make this neighborhood better. District Leader John Ruiz and Manny Rodriquez have a project for Martin Luther King Day -- cleaning out an empty lot on 103rd Street that they're turning into a park. Clark campaign volunteers are going to be there to help."

Individuals interested in participating in these events can use the EventFinder tool on the Clark04 Website to find the event closest to them. And they can also use the tool to register an event of their own. The next Reunion Latina e Hispana will be held on January 26, 2004.

Wes Clark's respect for the Hispanic and Latino community is based on experience. He learned to speak Spanish when he lived in Latin America. He has worked with the leaders of Latin American nations and has served with Hispanic and Latino men and women throughout the course of his 34 years in the armed forces. His daughter-in-law, Maria Astrid, is an immigrant from Colombia. She just gave birth to his only grandson, Wesley Pablo Oviedo Clark.