Milton Little echoed the emphasis that many other speakers at the NTM placed on achieving sustainability not just in a general sense but for each and every citizen. Sustainable development includes controlling crime and substance abuse, eliminating racism and hatred, developing high quality and safe schools, and promoting quality family life. The Clinton administration and the organizers of the NTM are to be congratulated for thinking long term and holistically, stated Raul Yzaguirre. He is President of the National Council of La Raza, the highly influential umbrella organization that includes 250 member organizations serving 3.5 million Latinos daily in social services, training, and many other areas. He and his organization share the view that as a society we can have both economic prosperity and environmental protection.
Partnerships are essential to achieving such ends.
Yzaguirre believes that partnerships begin at home. When an initiative is coming together to deal with jobs, education, or whatever problem, it is essential that each party bring something to the table, that all parties enter into a covenant as to who is to do what, and that all partners agree to hold each other accountable for achieving the agreed upon results. Sustainability is and must continue to be an enormously important topic for Latinos and all Americans, concluded Yzaguirre.