[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 25, 2005

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and celebrate Hispanic 
Heritage Month which just ended. I want to once again acknowledge and 
appreciate this ever growing community.
  In Congress, I have always held the concerns of the Latino community 
as my own. I am a Member of the Hispanic Working Group organized by 
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and am a member of the Tri-Caucus, 
which is the collection of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, 
Congressional Black Caucus, and the Asian Pacific American Caucus. 
Through these Congressional organizations, and through the legislation 
I introduce and support, I look for ways to improve the lives for 
Latinos, particularly in Healthcare, Education, Housing, and other 
areas.
  In my district, the 9th Congressional District of California, the 
contributions of Latino members of the community are stronger than 
ever. The Latino community is active and engaged throughout the 
District, State, and beyond. For example, Gabriela Franco, Vice 
President/Bank manager for Bank of the West was born in a small town in 
Mexico. Her parents brought her family to live in the United States 
when she was just 5 years old. She is the first person in her entire 
family to earn a college degree. Like so many other Latinas, Gabriela 
has a passion for giving back to the community in any way she can. 
Gabriela sits on the advisory board for three non profit organizations, 
Operation Hope, Women's Initiative for Self Employment (WISE) and the 
Ora Lee Brown Foundation. She volunteers with different organizations 
in my community, including Wardrobe for Opportunity and the ALAS 
program for WISE.
  WISE is a private, non-profit agency providing comprehensive business 
training, on-going technical assistance and financing for Bay Area low-
income women. Their programs are designed to assist an entrepreneur in 
gaining the necessary skills to start, grow and/or expand her business. 
Among the many successful graduates of WISE is Eva Saavedra. Eva and 
her husband Juan began their business from their home offering food to 
her neighbors. She met with instant success and after three years, with 
the assistance of WISE and the Unity Council, she was able to purchase 
the necessary equipment to open her own restaurant, El Huarache Azteca. 
El Huarache Azteca has been recognized by the Oakland Tribune and the 
San Francisco Chronicle as one of the finest Mexican restaurants in the 
Bay Area.
  Another example is Terry Alderete; Terry has been a leader and mentor 
for many years. Terry has served on the board of the Chicano-Latino 
Youth Leadership Project, (CLYLP) which was established in 1982 to 
prepare Latino high school students to actively participate in 
California's economic, social, and political development in the 21st 
century and beyond. Terry has been instrumental in securing funding for 
CLYLP which has served countless Latino students including members of 
my staff. Terry serves as the Northern Region Director of the 
California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and as the Vice President of 
the Alameda County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Terry is 
the coordinator of the largest Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and 
Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the United States. Terry has managed to 
make these events as the premier family-oriented, alcohol-free, large-
scale free festival in the East Bay, celebrating cultural traditions, 
diversity, and the arts in a fun and safe environment. Because of the 
popularity, diversity, and historical importance of the Dia de los 
Muertos festival, I inducted the festival into the Library of Congress 
as a local legacy in the State of California.
  Individuals in my district are the motivating force behind the 
remarkable organizations that promote civic engagement among Latinos in 
the 9th Congressional District. Leaders like Jesus Rodriguez, an 
Oakland Community Organization field representative, who organizes 
informational town hall meetings on health care, education, and 
immigration for the Latino community. Belen Pulido, an Berkeley 
Organizing Congregations for Action field representative, helps BOCA 
fulfill its mission of creating a coalition of interfaith congregations 
throughout the city of Berkeley to come together to dialog the need of 
faith support in the wider Berkeley area. Belen's leadership has been 
instrumental in having BOCA meeting the needs of the Latino community 
by persuading Berkeley High School in the English Language Learners 
program to translate forms and documents into Spanish for parents. In 
addition, Belen has organized immigration town halls and fundraiser for 
the School of the Americas organization.
  Mr. Speaker, these are just a few examples, but I hope that this 
Congress will acknowledge the contributions of the Latino community to 
our nation. Our differences should not divide us; rather, they should 
be bringing us together in celebration of what this nation is about. 
The work of people like Belen Pulido, Terry Alderete, Eva Saavedra, and 
Gabriela Franco, set a shining example for the next generation of 
leaders of not just the Latino community, but of this nation as a 
whole.