After a controversy that caused the National Council of La Raza to pull its 2009 annual conference from Kansas City, Mo., the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy group has decided to move its 2009 event to Chicago.

Last Fall, the NCLR board of directors voted to move the 2009 annual conference from Kansas City, Mo., in response to a request from NCLR’s Kansas City affiliates, who were concerned about the actions of Kansas City’s mayor in appointing a member of a vigilante group, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, to a city commission. Click the link to read more about the Minuteman controversy.

Subsequently, the board looked for a new site in the region and settled on Chicago, where it has met three times before—most recently in 1997. The conference will be held July 25-28 at McCormick Place West. “Chicago is a culturally diverse city with a strong Latino community that embraces the values our nation was built on, and we are excited to bring our 2009 annual conference to a city that appreciates and recognizes the contributions of Latinos,” said Janet Murguía, president and CEO at NCLR, in a press release.

The NCLR convention, a gathering of leaders in the Hispanic community, is expected to attract more than 20,000 attendees.