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ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
26-78
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
September 17, 2025
To remember, honor, and celebrate the life of Arturo J. Griffiths Jr., a long-time community
organizer and activist for the Latino community.
WHEREAS, Mr. Griffiths immigrated with his family to the United States from Panama
in 1964, settling in Washington, D.C., and;
WHEREAS, as a teenager, Mr. Griffiths co-founded the Latin American Youth Center,
which empowers youth to make a successful transition to adulthood via educational and
vocational opportunities and today serves more than 4,000 youth and families each year, and;
WHEREAS, Mr. Griffiths was a labor organizer with SEIU International Local 500,
Local 25 and in 2014 founded the Trabajadores Unidos de Washington D.C. (TUWDC) to
advocate for day laborers, many of whom were Central and South American immigrants, and;
WHEREAS, Mr. Griffiths created the Afro-Latino Institute, the city-wide Multicultural
Leadership Summit, the Save Our Cities, Save Our Children! March, and mobilized the “Jobs for
Youth” campaign to advocate for the community;
WHEREAS, Mr. Griffiths worked to pass a piece of key DC immigrant rights legislation,
the 2013 Driver’s Safety Amendment Act, which allowed undocumented District residents to
obtain a driver’s license, an economic lifeline for workers and families, and;
WHEREAS, Mr. Griffiths ran the Amigos Park Coalition for many years, advocating for
public space at the corner of Kenyon and Mount Pleasants Streets, NW for the Mount Pleasant
community, and;
WHEREAS, Mr. Griffiths dedicated his life to uplifting youth, fighting for the working
class, and supporting D.C.’s immigrant community, and;
WHEREAS, Mr. Griffiths was a beloved partner, father, grandfather, neighbor and
friend, and;
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, T hat this
resolution may be cited as the “Arturo Griffiths Memorial Recognition Resolution of 2025”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia remembers, honors, and celebrates the life
of Mr. Arturo Griffiths and his significant contributions to the community.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.