[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1291 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1291
Recognizing the significance of ``Chicano Heritage Month'' in August as
an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Mexican
Americans to the history of the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 2022
Mr. Correa (for himself, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Espaillat, Ms.
Norton, Ms. Newman, Mr. O'Halleran, Mr. Takano, Ms. Escobar, Ms. Chu,
Ms. Barragan, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Bass, Mr. Pappas, Mr.
Castro of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Levin of
California, Mr. Carbajal, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Garcia of
Illinois, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mrs. Lee of Nevada, Ms. Jacobs of
California, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Soto,
Mr. Gomez, Mr. Aguilar, Mr. Ruiz, and Mrs. Torres of California)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Oversight and Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of ``Chicano Heritage Month'' in August as
an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Mexican
Americans to the history of the United States.
Whereas the term Chicano was previously used to insinuate inferiority but was
later transformed into a term of empowerment, used to embrace and uplift
the Mexican-American identity;
Whereas the Chicano Movement, or El Movimiento, in the 1960s advocated for the
social and political empowerment of Mexican Americans;
Whereas Chicanos have contributed toward significant technological and
scientific advancements in the United States;
Whereas physicist Albert Vinicio Baez coinvented the X-ray reflection microscope
in 1948;
Whereas Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic female astronaut and the second
female director of the Johnson Space Center;
Whereas prominent Chicano leaders spearheaded the fight for labor rights and
education reform;
Whereas, in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that exclusion of eligible jurors due
to their ancestry of national origin violated the Equal Protection
Clause of the 14th Amendment in the case of Hernandez v. Texas, which
was ``the first and only Mexican-American civil-rights case heard and
decided by the United States Supreme Court during the post-World War II
period'';
Whereas, in 1946, the Supreme Court issued another landmark ruling in Mendez v.
Westminster School District of Orange County that declared school
segregation of Mexican Americans illegal;
Whereas John J. Herrera, an experienced Houston trial lawyer and 21st president
of the League of United Latin American Citizens, was the attorney who
won both of those landmark Supreme Court cases;
Whereas Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez are prominent figures in the labor
movement and advocates for workers', immigrants', and women's rights;
Whereas Ruben Salazar, a significant civil rights advocate, was the first
Mexican-American columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and the first
journalist to shed light on the Chicano community through mainstream
media;
Whereas Sal Castro, a high school social studies teacher, initiated and
facilitated the East Los Angeles Walkouts, which advocated for the
teaching of Mexican-American heritage in schools, by highlighting the
racial inequalities in the Chicano community and instilling cultural
pride into his pupils;
Whereas Sal Castro's then-student, Paula Crisostomo, is credited as the first
student to walk out in protest of the unequal education that Latino
students received, and led her peers in five East Los Angeles high
schools in walking out of classes in the first mass protest against
racism ever undertaken by Mexican Americans;
Whereas Chicano entertainers and artists have shaped American culture in the
United States;
Whereas Emigdio Vasquez, from Orange, California, was known as the ``Godfather
of Hispanic artists'', and painted over 30 public murals in central
Orange County, most notable are his art contributions to Santa Ana City
Hall;
Whereas Selena Quintanilla Perez, also known as Selena, was called the ``Queen
of Tejano music'' and contributed tremendously to American music and
fashion in the late 20th century;
Whereas, as of 2019, approximately 37,000,000 Chicano immigrants reside within
the United States and comprise about 61.4 percent of the United States
Latino population;
Whereas the Chicano population makes up 12 percent of the United States while
facing a disproportionate amount of representation within the public and
private sectors;
Whereas the city of Santa Ana, California, has a majority Chicano population;
Whereas, in 2021, the city of Santa Ana, California, was the first major city in
the United States to declare August as ``Chicano Heritage Month'';
Whereas the Chicano community values family relationships, which encourages a
sense of comradery and companionship within each household and serves as
a means of embracing Mexican lineage and ensuring principal traditions
from Chicano culture are instilled in the younger generation;
Whereas systemic prejudices targeting the Chicano population are becoming
especially apparent as domestic terrorism attacks surge, as seen in the
2019 shooting in El Paso, Texas; and
Whereas the elimination of Chicano discrimination requires the awareness and
acknowledgement of the community's struggle and the culmination of
decades-worth of marginalization: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the significance of ``Chicano Heritage
Month'' as an important time to celebrate the significant
contributions of Mexican Americans to the history of the United
States;
(2) recognizes that Mexican Americans enhance the rich
diversity of and strengthen the United States; and
(3) acknowledges Chicano Heritage Month and encourages its
observation with appropriate events and activities.
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