Recognizing the significance of “Chicano/Chicana Heritage Month” in August as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Mexican Americans to the history of the United States.

Recognizing the significance of “Chicano/Chicana 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/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 Báez co-invented 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, Guzman, Palomino, Estrada, Ramirez 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/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 5 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 Pérez, 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 approximately 37,000,000 Chicano/Chicana immigrants reside within the United States, and comprise about 61.5 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

Whereas, in 2023, the city of Anaheim, California, declared August as “Chicano Heritage Month”: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) recognizes the significance of “Chicano/Chicana 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/Chicana Heritage Month and encourages its observation with appropriate events and activities.