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Contact: José R. Gómez
(479) 277-0608

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Joins LULAC at 73rd Annual National Convention & Expo in Houston

Conference theme "Leading the New Majority: Shaping the Future," welcomes attendees to Houston, Texas

Bentonville, AR (July 3, 2002) — The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) kicked off its annual national conference in Houston last week with the support and participation of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. For a decade, Wal-Mart has joined with LULAC to focus on major issues affecting Latinos in the United States and also to search for candidates at the convention's popular job fair.

"Issues such as affirmative action, citizenship, voting, education, health and many others have been presented by LULAC members who are facing difficult challenges in their respective communities throughout the country," said Hector Flores, newly elected national LULAC President. "Our job is to prioritize these and other concerns that need our immediate attention, and we will not relent until they are resolved," he added.

The LULAC convention, attended by more than 8,000, adopted as the focus of LULAC's 2002-2003 Legislative Platform the issues of criminal justice reform, hate crimes, immigration and racial profiling, among others. Specific LULAC actions have been called for centering on the impact on Latinos of the proposed cutbacks in Medicaid prescription benefits; school voucher initiatives and access to quality health care.

"We are proud to partner and support one of the most established and respected community based organizations in the country," said José R. Gómez, Senior Manager, Corporate Affairs, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. "With the election of Hector Flores as President, we are confident that the organization will continue to prosper and increase its role as a leading voice for the Hispanic community."

LULAC is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.

"We talked to more than 300 people at the LULAC Expo," Gómez said. "The return has been solid, because we also have had the opportunity to find excellent qualified candidates. From an employment perspective, the LULAC Expo was one of the best pools of Hispanic talent," said Gómez.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates more than 2,700 discount stores, Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets, and more than 500 SAM'S Clubs in the United States. Wal-Mart is the largest private employer of Hispanics in the country with more than 97,000 Hispanic Associates and overall employs 1.4 million associates worldwide. Last year, Wal-Mart and SAM'S Clubs associates raised and contributed more than $194 million to support communities and local non-profit organizations. For more information, visit www.walmartstores.com.

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