[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 15, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN GRATITUDE TO MR. JESUS SALAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 15, 2006

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
extraordinary accomplishments and contributions of a leader in the 
Fourth Congressional District. Mr. Jesus Salas retired in December 
2005, concluding an 18-year teaching career at Milwaukee Area Technical 
College, MATC. Though his teaching career has ended, he will no doubt 
continue his life's work advancing the cause of civil rights and 
justice.
  A noted pioneer in the fight for civil rights, Mr. Salas participated 
in a series of landmark actions in the 1960s. Together with Father 
Groppi, Mr. Salas helped organize the Welfare Rights March in downtown 
Milwaukee, and was a leader in the landmark march from Milwaukee to the 
State capitol in Madison. He was part of a multi-racial group of civil 
rights leaders who together protested segregated housing, pushed for 
greater worker protections and demanded greater access to education for 
people of color.
  Mr. Salas has exhibited a profound commitment to the rights of 
migrant workers. He pushed for enforcement of laws that would protect 
migrant workers from exploitative conditions, including low wages, 
unhealthy working conditions and poor housing. As the founder of 
Obreros Unidos, Mr. Salas led the first sustained effort at unionizing 
migrant workers in the Great Lakes region, and he served as the first 
Hispanic executive director of United Migrant Opportunity Services, 
Inc.
  Furthermore, Mr. Salas is a staunch advocate for education. He fought 
to improve access to college education for Hispanic youth, while also 
demanding that educational institutions provide curricula that reflect 
the history and accomplishments of the Hispanic community. As a result 
of his efforts, the University of Wisconsin-Madison created a Chicano 
studies program, the Milwaukee Area Technical College instituted a 
bilingual education program, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 
created the Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute--now the Roberto 
Hernandez Center--to recruit, advise and support Hispanic students. 
Generations of Hispanic leaders to come will be able to thank Mr. Salas 
for working to ensure the increased educational opportunities they will 
enjoy.
  I know Mr. Salas will continue to identify and advocate for 
educational innovations in his role as a member of the University of 
Wisconsin Board of Regents. Along with members of the Fourth 
Congressional District's Hispanic community, I extend to him my 
heartfelt congratulations and wish him all the best in his future 
endeavors.

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