HispanicBusiness

"So he will be remembered as a proud Mexican American. One that boosted all our pride by boasting of the power and the contributions that Mexican Americans make economically, culturally and socially to our country."

Lupe Anguiano, Executive Director, Stewards of the Earth

I have known Dionicio since he started his work on employment. And I always appreciated his strong positions and his efforts. He really is a pioneer of focusing on employment in our Latino community. He started many job training programs throughout the nation. It was a time of recognition, incredible to say this now, a time of recognizing Latinos. Nationwide we were not recognized or known in the East Coast and Washington, New York, etc. Dionicio did a lot to bring a lot of notoriety and explaining our issues and bringing greater attention to employment.

I think one of the greatest tributes we could make to Dionicio was his effective work with employers. He worked so effectively with employers throughout the United States to bring job training that would bring gainful employment to the Latino community.
I salute him for that.

Luis Nogales, Managing Partner, Nogales Investors

I first came to town to Los Angeles some time after law school in the early seventies. Dionicio at that point was one of the undoubted leaders of the Hispanic community in Los Angeles and very much the pioneer in having a very national scope and contacts with people working on Hispanic issues nationwide. He was someone who had a direct line to people in the White House, Sacramento, and the mayor's office. He was an advocate for all the Hispanic community, especially the working people centrally throughout his life. Certainly he was one of the great leaders in modern times of the Hispanic community, like Cesar Chavez, Ernesto Galarza, and other formidable formidable pioneers and trailblazers of the Hispanic community.
He made me feel very proud. He was in many ways a model to people of my generation, a model not only in terms of his dedication to the Hispanic community, but also in terms of his know-how, his professionalism, his ability to move in many different social and political circles. He has left a stellar legacy to the community.

Gloria Romero, Majority Leader,California State Senator and Representative for East Los Angeles

Knowing Mr. Morales was like understanding American history. Not only did Dionicio make better the lives of people of East Los Angeles, he made better the lives of all Americans. He was truly a legend, a pioneer, a fighter for equality and justice, not just for Latinos, but for all.
He lived the American dream. He understood that the Latino agenda is the American agenda, and he did with it a fight for equal rights to education in order to make us equal in this great country. He will be sadly missed, we will be forever thankful for his leadership, and certainly his legacy will live on.

Moctesuma Esparza, CEO of Maya Cinemas

All Mexican Americans, and by extension all American Latinos, have better lives because of the extraordinary commitment of his life to empowering us and overcoming the racism and bigotry that was so pervasive since the depression, which he lived through. He stands with Cesar Chavez, Corky Gonzalez, Bert Corona, and Ed Roybal as giants in our struggle for equality. We are all grateful for his life.

Click here to view a historical photo slideshow of Dionicio Morales

We invite you to share your remembrances, thoughts, and well-wishes for Mr. Morales' family and friends, either in the comments section below or email editor@hbinc.com