IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 645 

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 

AUGUST 4, 2023 

Mr. CORREA (for himself, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. RUIZ, 

Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. NORTON, Mr. VARGAS, Mrs. 

NAPOLITANO, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. GOMEZ, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. 

CARBAJAL, Ms. CARAVEO, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Ms. SALINAS, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mrs. TORRES of California, Mr. CARSON, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. CARTER of 

Louisiana, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. 

LYNCH, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. GALLEGO, Ms. PORTER, Mr. SWALWELL, Mr. IVEY, Mr. VASQUEZ, Mr. CROW, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. THOMPSON of California, 

Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. TITUS, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. 

VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. LIEU, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. COSTA, Mr. PETERS, Mr. BERA, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KILDEE, 

Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. WATERS, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. 

CA ́RDENAS, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. SOTO, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. 

BUDZINSKI, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, and Ms. CHU) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 

Accountability 

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. 


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•HRES 645 IH 

Whereas the term Chicano/Chicana 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/Chicana Movement, or El Movimiento, 

in the 1960s advocated for the social and political empowerment of Mexican Americans; 

Whereas Chicano/Chicanas have contributed toward significant technological and scientific advancements in the 

United States; 

Whereas physicist Albert Vinicio Ba ́ez 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/Chicana 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 


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•HRES 645 IH 

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/Chicana 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/Chicana 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/Chicana 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 Pe ́rez, also known as Selena, was 

called the ‘‘Queen of Tejano music’’ and contributed treVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:48 Aug 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR645.IH HR645

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•HRES 645 IH 

mendously to American music and fashion in the late 

20th century; 

Whereas, as of 2019, approximately 37,000,000 Chicano/ 

Chicana immigrants reside within the United States and 

comprise about 61.4 percent of the United States Latino 

population; 

Whereas the Chicano/Chicana 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/Chicana 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/Chicana 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/Chicana culture are instilled in the younger generation; 

Whereas systemic prejudices targeting the Chicano/Chicana 

population are becoming especially apparent as domestic 

terrorism attacks surge, as seen in the 2019 shooting in 

El Paso, Texas; 

Whereas the elimination of Chicano/Chicana discrimination 

requires the awareness and acknowledgement of the community’s struggle and the culmination of decades-worth 

of marginalization; and 


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•HRES 645 IH 

Whereas, in 2023, the city of Anaheim, California, declared 

August as ‘‘Chicano Heritage Month’’: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the significance of ‘‘Chicano Her3 itage Month’’ as an important time to celebrate the 

4 significant contributions of Mexican Americans to 

5 the history of the United States; 

6 (2) recognizes that Mexican Americans enhance 

7 the rich diversity of and strengthen the United 

8 States; and 

9 (3) acknowledges Chicano Heritage Month and 

10 encourages its observation with appropriate events 

11 and activities. 

Æ 


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