[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 130 (Saturday, August 5, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        TRIBUTE TO JESSE SANCHEZ

                                 ______


                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 4, 1995
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, the Latino community has lost a great leader.
  Jesse Sanchez, who devoted every ounce of his spirit to empowering 
the Latino community in the city of Salinas, in my congressional 
district, died on August 2, 1995, of cancer. Mr. Sanchez always spoke 
first when Latinos in Salinas confronted public racism--and often, he 
spoke alone. He had the courage and uncompromising conviction to 
express what many others felt, but, could not say.
  Mr. Sanchez fiercely believed that Latinos belong in every room and 
at every table where public discourse occurs, and, he fought 
aggressively to dismantle artificial barriers to Latino political 
participation. His valiant battles inspired many Latinos to assert 
their God-given talents and to express their political leadership 
skills. As a result, the city of Salinas, the county seat in what is 
one of the most powerful agricultural valleys in our country, now 
boasts a Latino-majority city council working mightily to represent all 
of Salinas. And more importantly, the city's schools are now filled 
with young Latino students who dream of leading their city some day.
  Mr. Sanchez' vitae attests to his commitment to the Latino community. 
The following list contains just some of Mr. Sanchez' achievements:
  As a student during the late 1970's and early 1980's, Mr. Sanchez 
insisted that commencement ceremonies celebrate Latino culture, first 
at the predominantly Latino Alisal High School in Salinas, where he 
convinced authorities to hold the first ever bilingual commencement and 
then at the University of California at Davis Law School, where Mr. 
Sanchez became the first valedictorian to address celebrants in Spanish 
as well as English.
  Upon finishing his studies, Mr. Sanchez returned to Salinas in 1981 
and became the first Latino elected to the Alisal Union School District 
Board of Trustees, where for 12 years Mr. Sanchez helped transform the 
school district into California's leading bilingual, bicultural 
educational institution.
  In 1988, Mr. Sanchez led a successful fight to convince the voters of 
the city of Salinas to adopt single-member voting districts to elect 
city council members, thus paving the way for the city's first ever 
elected Latino city councilman.
  In 1992, Mr. Sanchez filed a lawsuit and obtained an order pendent 
lite requiring judicial elections by districts, an order which yielded 
the first Latino, the first Latina and the first African-American 
municipal court judges ever in Monterey County, CA.
  In closing, let me make one thing clear: Mr. Sanchez' efforts, 
although focused on empowering Latinos, have benefited the entire 
Salinas community. The pool of talent which serves Salinas has now been 
enlarged to include people who previously could not contribute. Those 
newly enfranchised people now lend their talent and their commitment to 
the effort to make Salinas a better community.


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