Viva La Familia! Rally Draws Over 5,000 to Downtown Denver

Contact: Bob Adams, Alliance for Marriage, 202-669-0940

DENVER, August 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- Thousands of Latinos from the Denver-metropolitan area joined national Catholic and Evangelical leaders from Colorado, California, and Arizona at an Alliance for Marriage outdoor celebration on Sunday to honor marriage and family.  Police estimate 4,000 to 6,000 people attended the event.

"To the Latino family, traditional marriage represents the antidote to destructive social behavior such as drug activity, teenage pregnancy, gang involvement, high school dropout and many others," said Rev. Sam Rodriguez, Jr., an AFM Advisory Board Member and President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

"Viva la Familia! reminds us all that the most important social institution is the family," said Luis Soto, Executive Director of Centro San Juan Diego, Archdiocese of Denver.

"As a Latina I must speak now for marriage - speak now or forever hold my peace," said Rev. Eve Nunez, President and Founder of the Arizona Latino Commission.  "Latinos are a people of values, for life, for marriage - God's design, one man and one woman."

"We all know that marriage –a permanent union between one man and one woman – is the best way for our happiness and a promising future," said Alejandro Bermudez, Director of the Catholic Information Agency ACI-Prensa, the most read Spanish Catholic web site in the world.

Entertainment was provided by the renowned Mexican performer Cepillín, who was for many years a great TV star in more than 18 countries. The event also featured the Catholic recording artist Ge'La and Mexican actor Eduardo Verástegui.

The Alliance for Marriage is a multicultural coalition whose Board of Advisors includes Rev. Walter Fauntroy – the D.C. Coordinator of the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr. – as well as other civil rights and religious leaders, and national legal experts.