[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 126 (Tuesday, October 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S9708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, every year the Congress 
designates the September 15--October 15 period as Hispanic Heritage 
Month, but even as we do so we know that the contributions Hispanic 
Americans make to our national life are much greater than the modest 
tribute we pay them. Of all the varied cultures and traditions that are 
woven together into the distinctive fabric of American life, Hispanic 
Americans have some of the most distinctive, vigorous, and sustained 
culture and traditions.
  In recent years the Hispanic American population in the United States 
has grown very rapidly. According to the 2000 census it stands at 35 
million, which represents an increase of 58 percent in the previous 
decade alone. Projections show that by mid-century Hispanic Americans 
will make up 24 percent of the population; put another way, just about 
one in every four Americans will be of Hispanic-American origin. We 
have see this trend very clearly in my own State of Maryland, where the 
Hispanic American population has grown more than 82 percent since 1990, 
and now makes up more than 4 percent of the population statewide. But 
numbers and percentages, while impressive, only hint at the vigor and 
the variety of the Hispanic contribution to Maryland's culture and 
economy.
  Just as the U.S. population is diverse, so is the Hispanic American 
community itself. There have long been established Puerto Rican and 
Dominican communities in New York City, Central American communities in 
the Washington metropolitan area, Cuban Americans in Florida, Mexican 
Americans in California and the Southwest; but Hispanics from many 
different countries now live in cities and towns and villages in every 
corner of the Nation, and they bring to the communities in which they 
settle the rich cultures of the nations from which they have come. They 
are moving forward to take their place in community and political 
institutions at every level. They are changing the face of America, and 
changing the way we see America. As Hispanic Americans participate 
increasingly in every aspect of our national life grows, they bring a 
new dimension to ethnic diversity; with their presence they challenge 
the old, corrosive assumptions that divided the world into black and 
white.
  We must see to it that Hispanic Americans, like all others Americans, 
have access to all the opportunities that make our society stronger, 
opportunities for education, employment, health care and housing. We 
must also see that language barriers do not create unnecessary and 
unproductive impediments to participation. Sensitivity to cultural 
differences is important in our schools and clinics, our financial 
institutions, government offices and courts; appropriate bilingual 
materials can often solve problems of communication. Hispanic Americans 
have given much to our national life, and with adequate opportunities 
they will give much more.
  Succeeding generations of immigrants have come to this country in 
search of a better life. They have worked hard, often against the most 
difficult odds, to make a place for themselves and their families, and 
to realize fully the promise this Nation offers. Diversity has always 
been the hallmark of the Republic; the attacks of September 11 a year 
ago have brought home to us, perhaps more so than ever in the past, 
that in the diversity of our people lies one of our greatest strengths. 
Hispanic Americans are now helping to write an important new chapter in 
our history, and I am pleased and proud to offer this tribute to 
Hispanic Heritage Month, which recognized and celebrates their 
accomplishments.

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