Title: 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.
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
This resolution recognizes the importance of Chicano Heritage Month and asserts that Mexican Americans enhance the diversity and strength of the United States.

[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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