America Gruner

DALTON, Ga. — As a national debate over immigration raged in early 2006, Mexican immigrant America Gruner founded a grassroots organization to engage this city’s Hispanics amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment.

“Locally, we didn’t have anybody to speak about (immigration) without attacking anybody,” she said. “People ... felt their voices weren’t being heard.” She started the Coalition of Latino Leaders, or CLILA, to nurture Hispanic leaders.

Now, Ms. Gruner is stepping down as CLILA president to work with a national organization in Atlanta. Under her leadership, CLILA has registered voters, organized community forums and English classes and held citizenship drives.

Jerry Gonzalez, of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, described CLILA as the central organization here that immigrants can trust. He also described Ms. Gruner as “the most important Latino leader in Dalton.”

But over the weekend, Ms. Gruner left CLILA — and Dalton — to work with the National Council of La Raza.

NCLR bills itself as the U.S.’s largest civil rights group for Hispanics.

Ms. Gruner will work as a coordinator for the Southeast region, working in nine states and guiding about 20 Hispanic community organizations, including CLILA.

Ms. Gruner’s day job in Dalton was with the Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership, directing the Promotora Project for Hispanics. But her volunteer work with CLILA also captured the attention of many community members.

Grocery store owner Francisco Palacios recalls Ms. Gruner setting up voter registration tables at the city’s soccer fields early in the morning. Ms. Gruner stayed by the soccer fields well into the evening, registering Hispanic citizens to become new voters.

Before the mayoral race here, CLILA ramped up its voter registration efforts. The organization — and Ms. Gruner — didn’t officially endorse any of the mayoral candidates, but a “David Pennington” sign now hangs in the CLILA office.

Mr. Pennington won the mayoral runoff with nearly 58 percent of the vote. He praised her registration drives. “She sees the big picture,” he said. “If you don’t vote, you don’t count.”

Ms. Gruner isn’t without her critics, though.

She has received e-mail messages accusing her of registering noncitizens to vote and of racism. Anti-illegal immigration activist D.A. King describes her new employer, the National Council of La Raza, as a racist organization.

“The National Council of ‘The Race’ says it all,” Mr. King said, referring to the translation of the name. “I would defy any other group from any other ethnicity to label themselves (the race) without criticism.”

For her part, Ms. Gruner said La Raza is a civil rights organization and not in favor of opening the borders. And she doesn’t respond to inflammatory e-mails. “Our philosophy is just be positive and focus on our mission,” she said.

Maria Guijon, 20, will continue that mission as CLILA’s next president.

Ms. Gruner has known Ms. Guijon since she was 14, teaching her how to involve Hispanic immigrants in the greater community.

Dalton Community Center Director Tom Pinson said Ms. Gruner has taught Hispanics to have a stake in the city.

She encouraged Hispanics to join organizations, vote, take an interest in their children’s schools.

“I think she was the first person who really started to step out and let people realize that they weren’t second-class citizens,” Mr. Pinson said.