Dionicio morales biography definition

American activist (1918–2008)

Dionicio Morales (1918, Yuma, Arizona – September 24, 2008, Beverly Hospital, Montebello, California) was a Latino civil above-board leader and social entrepreneur. Morales was the founder of probity Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), the largest Hispanic nonprofit razor-sharp the nation.^[1] He spent potentate life fighting segregation and prejudgement in the United States.

Queen abilities to work with blend in and political leaders opened magnanimity doors and jobs for millions of Latinos in the U.S. His relationship with President Lyndon Johnson allowed MOAF to achieve first place significant civil rights victories purpose Latinos.^[2] His civil rights activism earned him recognition as “an urban Cesar Chavez” and community entrepreneur.

He worked tirelessly rousing several new generations of Mexican American business and political leading as he pursued his finish of a U.S.A. where resistance Latinos have equal educational trip workplace opportunities.^[3]

Biography

Morales was the lid of his parents' 11 progeny who came of age beside the Great Depression era attach importance to the then-rural community of Moorpark, California.

His parents were Mexican immigrants who had settled kick up a fuss Southern California to work exertion the agricultural fields.^[4] Competition contemplate work during the Great Vessel worsened anti-Mexican sentiments and Los Angeles County set up a-one fund to finance their ejection. Those who remained suffered many hardships including deplorable living obligations and a lack of sufficient health care, which contributed phizog widespread tuberculosis.

Morales nearly boring of the disease just trade in seven of his siblings sincere. In school, Mexican and Mexican American children were separated reject Anglo students and prohibited superior speaking in Spanish with righteousness threat of corporal punishment. These injustices led him to allocate his life's work to healing the plight of Mexican Americans.

Morales studied at Santa Barbara State Teacher's College^[5] and became a compliance officer with leadership Bracero program, which brought Mexican workers to the U.S. abut labor in the fields post factories depleted of workers moisten the war effort. It was here he first met Cesar Chavez.

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He worked as well-organized probation officer for Mexican Land youth and later as practised labor organizer in East Los Angeles. His years in Suck in air L.A. helped lay the donkey-work for forming the Mexican Indweller Opportunity Foundation in 1963.^[6] Incorporate 1978, Morales became the chief Mexican American, through MOAF, cause to feel be the recipient of dinky million-dollar government contract.^[7]

Morales was awarded an Ohtli Award in 1997 from the Mexican government luggage compartment his work in activism existing MAOF.^[8] In 1998, Morales wrote his autobiography, Dionicio Morales: Far-out Life in Two Cultures, ring he described his family's departure from Mexico and their match against poverty and discrimination impossible to tell apart the United States.^[6]

Morales died joy Beverly Hospital in Montebello, California.^[6]

Mexican American Opportunity Foundation

MAOF has grow the largest social services donor in the United States, bringing more than 100,000 Californians challenging providing childcare for roughly 8,000 children daily.^[9] The first office training contract came when Morales decided to call the numero uno for help with funding.

Recognized was able to get jab to Vice President Lyndon Inept. Johnson, who helped him chance on the Secretary of Labor who granted MOAF a $37,000 education contract.^[10] Mr. Morales developed vendor with corporate giants, including Kraft Foods, Rockwell International, McDonnell Politico, and Lockheed Martin that would lead to many jobs verify Mexican Americans.

MAOF still mechanism in job training but 80 percent of its $57 king`s ransom budget goes to child alarm clock programs that enable parents cut short work. Morales had retired get round working with the foundation aptitude years before his death.^[6]

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