In response to the passage of SB 1062 in Arizona, the Hispanic National Bar Association withdrew its 40th Annual Convention, scheduled for September 2015, from being held in Phoenix, Arizona.
“As a national association of lawyers committed to promoting the ideals of equal protection, equal opportunity, tolerance, and inclusiveness, it is imperative that we speak up and take immediate action in the presence of injustice,” said HNBA President Miguel Alexander Pozo.
The HNBA, a non-profit national membership group for Hispanics in legal fields, announced the pulling of the convention prior to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s veto of the bill last night, and was one of the first groups to cancel an event scheduled to be held in that state. This bill would have given Arizona business owners the right to refuse serving groups that clash with their individual religious rights; groups such as the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, just to name a few.
“Laws that return us to a darker time in the nation’s history simply cannot be tolerated,” said Alexander Pozo.
It is unknown whether or not the HNBA 2015 Convention will be rescheduled in Phoenix after the veto of the bill, but what is known is that the Hispanic group shared the same sentiment many Americans had about the discriminatory bill.
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